LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will be receiving a $4 million grant in order to better detect toxins in the bodies of citizens in a process called “Biomonitoring.”
According to an official press release, “Biomonitoring is the measurement of environmental chemicals in body tissues or fluids, such as blood or urine, to determine the amount of chemical that actually enters the body.”
The grant money will be used to create a new program for monitoring chemicals such as PFAS in citizens, as well as a secondary program to monitor PFAS in firefighters.
“This is a great win for all of Michigan and will allow our department to even better assess and address exposure to environmental chemicals in our communities,” MDHHS director Robert Gordon said. “This knowledge will help us to develop and evaluate ways to both prevent and reduce chemical exposures.”
The data used in the research will also be used to help existing investigations, such as the recent detection of PFAS in Kent County private wells.
