BELMONT, Mich. — On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a settlement had been reached with Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. over their role in PFAS contamination.
PFAS, known as ‘forever chemicals,’ are dangerous cancer-causing materials that are used in many common household items.
Asahi, based in Brighton, received a descent decree at the end of January and took responsibility for studying the extent of the spread, the cleanup, and handling costs associated with both tasks.
They will also have to reimburse the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) for legal costs associated with the lawsuits.
“I think it's going to be in the millions for certain,” said Nessel on a press call with reporters Monday. “The best thing that we can hope for is that these contaminated sites are remediated and that it's not at the expense of the taxpayer.”
Nessel said instances like Asahi – where companies come forward to take responsibility for cleanup costs – is “what you hope for.” Although Asahi’s pollution hasn’t been linked to any local drinking water yet, Nessel said it’s still vastly important to litigate any contamination at all.
The Asahi settlement is the first of more than a dozen state and federal lawsuits that Nessel or the state of Michigan are party to.
Asahi’s consent decree is similar to the one handed down to Rockford-based Wolverine Worldwide, another PFAS polluter.
“We’re finally getting to a place where polluters are being held accountable,” said Sandy Wynn-Stelt, a Belmont resident who unknowingly drank PFAS contaminated water for years.
In 2016, Wynn-Stelt lost her husband to related liver cancer and battled cancer herself. She later went on to found the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, a group that advocates for other victims of PFAS contamination.
“I think anything we can do to take the burden off of taxpayers and put it where people have made profits off of this, just feels like justice,” she said. “I think this is just the beginning but it’s a real positive turn. I feel like we’re starting to get some traction.”
But for her and others plagued by the long-term effects of PFAS, money is only part of the solution to a problem that there indeed, may be no perfect solution for.
“You can only pay for so much, I mean, money doesn’t bring my husband back,” she said. “I think once you’ve been contaminated by this, those are the thoughts that always go through your mind, no matter where you are in a settlement or consent decree.”
Sandy is encouraging anyone who lives near a PFAS site to sign up for the Michigan PFAS Exposure and Health Study (MiPEHS). To sign up, click here.
