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DEQ expands private well testing for toxic chemicals near Otsego paper factor landfill

The decision comes after the agency received test results that verified the presence of PFAS in residential drinking wells.

OTSEGO, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is expanding testing for toxic chemicals.

The agency plans to identify an additional 25 residential wells near a paper factory landfill in Otsego to sample and test for perfluorinated chemicals, known as PFAS. The decision comes after the agency received test results that verified the presence of PFAS in residential drinking wells.

Chris Lantinga is with the department's Kalamazoo District. He says the agency plans to conduct additional testing, including of soil samples from farms where sludge from the paper factory was applied.

The investigation began this spring after residents voiced concerns about people with cancer and other serious ailments in the area.

Exposure to PFAS has been linked in human studies to cancer, thyroid malfunction and other diseases.

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