PFAS drinking water testing
FILE - Eva Stebel, water researcher, pours a water sample into a smaller glass container for experimentation as part of drinking water and PFAS research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Center For Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response on Feb. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

Overview:

  • Michigan monitors seven PFAS compounds in drinking water.
  • PFAS were detected in 59 southeast Michigan water systems in 2024, though none were found in treated water from the Great Lakes Water Authority serving Metro Detroit.
  • Michigan Democrats have introduced bills to ban PFAS manufacturing and sales, while the 2026 midterms could determine whether stricter regulations advance.

This story is part of a series by Planet Detroit on the environmental and health issues at stake in the 2026 midterm election.

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is the umbrella term for an alphabet soup of chemicals, which exist in dozens of common household items, from cookware to clothing to food packaging. 

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Why it matters

The regulation of PFAS contamination in Michigan could shift due to proposed regulatory rollbacks by the Trump administration and the outcome of the midterm election.

Who's making public decisions

The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team monitors seven compounds across state agencies. The Michigan Legislature is considering a Democratic-backed package of bills to regulate PFAS testing, ban products containing the chemicals, and provide relief to impacted farmers. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of PFAS standards rescinds federal limits on four of six PFAS compounds that were set during the Biden administration.

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What to watch for next

Watch for votes on the state House Democrats' PFAS bill package addressing testing, product bans, and farmer relief, and the outcome of midterm elections that could determine whether environmental legislation advances.

Are you taking action? Let us know.

Civic resources compiled by Planet Detroit

In general, the substances support the water- or grease-repellent function we’ve come to expect from these items. They’re known as “forever chemicals” because their strong chemical bonds don’t break down in nature, and can build up in the human body. 

Their effect on human health is still being studied, but existing research suggests PFAS are linked to various cancers and other diseases, including kidney and testicular cancer. 

Michigan amended its drinking water rules to include PFAS limits in August 2020, making it among the first states to do so. The federal government issued stricter PFAS standards in 2024 that the Trump administration now proposes to roll back.

Here’s where PFAS regulations and legislation stand as Michigan heads into midterm elections that could tip the vote on environmental laws. 

Michigan’s PFAS standards

The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of PFAS standards last month rescinded federal limits on four of six PFAS compounds that were set during the Biden administration. The rollback also allowed for water systems to delay compliance with the remaining two standards.

In Michigan, the state monitors seven PFAS compounds, and the federal ruling has no effect on that work, according to Abigail Hendershott, executive director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, which works across seven state agencies. What’s more, the state has stricter standards than at the federal level. 

At the same time, Michigan has looser standards for most of the PFAS compounds for which the Trump administration is dropping limits altogether.

This will impact Michigan communities contaminated with the chemicals affected by the federal rollback, as Planet Detroit reported last month. 

In 2024, Planet Detroit reported that PFAS were detected in 59 southeast Michigan water systems. In the Great Lakes Water Authority, which serves much of Metro Detroit, none were detected in treated water, but untreated, “raw” source samples did have detectable amounts.

The PFAS Action Response Team’s Hendershott said: “There is no reason to be worried about Michigan’s municipal public water supplies in the state.” 

The concern with PFAS is their ubiquity in modern life, she said. Unlike problematic substances found in industrial settings, PFAS “are in our houses.” 

Michigan lawmakers back PFAS bills

When U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) served in the U.S. House of Representatives, she sponsored multiple pieces of PFAS cleanup and regulation legislation. 

In January, U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens, Debbie Dingell, Hillary Scholten, and Rashida Tlaib, all Michigan Democrats, were among the lawmakers who introduced bipartisan legislation to regulate PFAS as a hazardous chemical under the Clean Air Act. No action has been taken on the bill.

In April, state House Democrats introduced a package of bills addressing various concerns around PFAS, including testing, relief for impacted farmers, and a prohibition on the manufacture, sale and distribution of products containing the chemicals. The bill package has yet to be taken up.

PFAS allies, education

Besides the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, nonprofits working in this area include the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, the Environmental Working Group, the Sierra Club, and others. 

The week of Sept. 21, 2026 is PFAS Awareness Week in Michigan.

Events are planned around the state addressing knowing which fish are safe to eat, and consumer product awareness and education about avoiding foam deposits on Michigan waterways, which can contain the chemicals, Hendershott said.

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