GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The scientist who blew the whistle on the state’s PFAS issue nearly 6 years ago but was ignored by state officials is now speaking out.
At a PFAS hearing a Grand Valley State University, Robert Delaney expressed that “We have more to face than just the problem with PFAS…the current PFAS crisis just illustrates deeper problems in how we protect ourselves.”
He reiterated that he was not speaking for the state or the DEQ, but simply as himself, “a state employee, scientist, father, and citizen.”
Delaney discovered PFAS while testing drinking water wells back in 2010 and wrote a 93-page report to the DEQ 2 years later suggesting further testing, but nothing came from his findings until this year.
The hearing, headed by Senator Gary Peters, included two panels of witnesses, residents affected by PFAS, environmental leaders, state officials, and several others.
Their goal was to learn more about how PFAS works and what is considered a safe level, if any.
There are 35 known PFAS contamination sites in Michigan, and the possibility of thousands of others.
The hearing will took place at Grand Valley State University’s Loosemore Auditorium in downtown Grand Rapids at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
