PFAS Response
MDHHS launches biomonitoring project to assess Michigan firefighter PFAS exposure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2021
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Division of Environmental Health recently launched the PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance (PFOMS) project. During this multi-year project, MDHHS will assess Michigan firefighters' average exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - chemicals commonly found in Class B firefighting foams used to fight fires involving gasoline, oil and jet fuel.
"The findings will help inform activities to minimize firefighters' exposure to PFAS," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. "Emerging science continues to reveal the effects that PFAS can have on human health, and the firefighters who participate in the PFOMS project will contribute to our understanding of PFAS exposure among firefighters."