Read the full article by Garret Elliso (MLive).
“Health officials say a 2020 ban on training with PFAS-laden firefighting foam may have helped reduce toxicant levels in the blood of Michigan firefighters, although results of a study do not offer concrete proof.
A Michigan Department of Health and Human Services report released in May found PFAS in the blood of more than 1,000 firefighters tested over three years, creating what officials called a first-of-its-kind baseline for state occupational exposure.
The study found Michigan firefighters generally did not have higher average levels than the broader U.S. population for most measured chemicals, a result which officials speculate may reflect restriction on use of certain toxic foams enacted in 2020.
But the finding comes with a big caveat: Michigan does not have a pre-ban firefighter blood baseline to compare against.
‘The comparison isn’t straightforward,’ said Priyashi Manani, an MDHHS epidemiologist who led the PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance (PFOMS) project.”…