On April 6, 2021, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) hosted a community meeting detailing information about the ongoing PFAS source investigation near the Gogebic-Iron County Airport located in Ironwood Michigan. The webinar contains an overview of PFAS uses in society, public health information, and an overview of the environmental investigation at the airport and surrounding areas. Following the presentation, meeting attendees were provided an opportunity to ask questions of a panel of State of Michigan personnel.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals that are resistant to heat, water, and oil. PFAS was historically used at the airport in fire-fighting foams as was required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). PFAS can get into drinking water when products containing them are used or spilled onto the ground. The purpose of the proposed residential well sampling is to determine if any wells have been impacted.
A recording of the community meeting can be viewed below:
For information on PFAS, visit https://www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse/.
For questions about the investigation or for a copy of the presentation materials, contact Michael Jury, EGLE, at JURYM1@michigan.gov or (517) 242-9578. For questions related to PFAS and health, contact Rosa Jaiman, MDHHS ,at JaimanR@michigan.gov, or call 517-331-1049 or 800-648-6942 and ask for Rosa Jaiman.