A group of lawmakers wants more federal money to address drinking water contamination around the state.
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee and U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters included money for PFAS contamination in their latest budget bill.
The family of toxic chemicals, known as PFAS, have been linked to certain forms of cancer as well as other health issues.
The chemicals can be found in many products like waterproofing materials and firefighting foam.
The bill includes additional money for investigating and cleaning up known contaminated sites. It also includes $10 million to conduct a study on the health effects of PFAS exposure.
The bill will have to go in front of the full House and Senate -- both controlled by Republicans.
Senator Stabenow expressed concern for all the families exposed to these chemicals in a statement this week.
“What’s even scarier is that we don’t know the full extent and long term impact of exposure to these chemicals. I’m fully committed to working with federal, state, and local partners on short- and long-term assistance for those who have been affected,” Stabenow said.
There are nearly 30 known PFAS contamination sites around the state, says the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
Here’s a map of the known contamination sites across Michigan.
