The Michigan Legislature has approved spending $23 million to address what state regulators say is an emerging problem of contamination caused by toxic chemicals used in industrial products.
The funding is included in a supplemental budget bill passed quickly Wednesday.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are used in many industrial applications and products including firefighting foams. There are 14 known communities with 28 contamination sites in Michigan.
The money would be used for response activities, including to buy lab equipment instead of sending samples out of state.
A contamination in Kent County has drawn intense scrutiny recently. Waste sludge from footwear company Wolverine World Wild was dumped into unlined trenches and lagoons decades ago.
