In 2017, the state health department gave Cottage Grove, Minnesota’s mayor notice that a lower threshold had to be set for PFAS, a 3M-manufactured chemical that could be found in the community’s drinking water. The level in Cottage Grove’s drinking water would be higher than the new threshold. The health department recommended stricter limits to protect the most vulnerable—infants and young children.
PFAS and its many varieties have been around since the 1950s. Their stability made them ideal for use in nonstick pans, waterproof gear, greaseproof food wrappings, and firefighting foams. “And the same property that makes them so effective in consumer products—one of the strongest molecular bonds ever discovered—means they are almost impossible to get rid of and don’t break down in the environment.”
Scientists have dubbed these as “forever” chemicals and linked them to reduced immune response and cancer. Minnesota is among many states that are taking action.
