Protect Your Shoreline With An Itasca Waters Shoreland Advisor

PFAS in Minnesota: Understanding the Impacts of Forever Chemicals by Sophie Greene. PFAS are a family of manmade chemicals that have been widely used for decades. They are extremely stable and do not breakdown in the environment.

Common uses of PFAS include:

• Nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics
• Coatings on some food packaging (especially microwave popcorn bags and fast food wrappers)
• Components of some fire-fighting foams
• Many industrial applications
• Consumer products – for example, products that are stain and/or water resistant, cosmetics, and some cleaning products

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says high levels of exposure to PFAS are associated with a wide range of health problems and they are conducting testing to ensure that drinking water meets state PFAS guidance. In June of 2022, the MDH rolled out its per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) interactive online dashboard, which shows the status and results of testing for PFAS in community water systems. Grand Rapids is one of those communities.

To explore all the subjects of Itasca Waters' educational series for 2022 please visit: https://itascawaters.org/waterwisdom!