This holiday weekend, avoid foam on the water: Officials

Kate Holloway
·2 min read

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — People all over Michigan this weekend will be ready to take a dip in one of the state’s several thousand water bodies–and public health officials are raising an extra caution to keep yourself and your pets away from the foam.

Though natural foam often forms on lakes and rivers, certain foam can contain harmful bacteria or chemicals–including high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services warned.

PFAS are man-made chemicals found in many consumer products, including non-stick cookware and fire extinguisher foam.

Michigan leads nation in PFAS sites

Natural foam is usually off-white and/or brown, may have an earth or fishy scent and tends to pile up in bays, eddies or at river barriers, like dams, MDHHS official said.

FILE – PFAS foam gathers at the the Van Etten Creek dam in Oscoda Township, Mich., near Wurtsmith Air Force Base on June 7, 2018. Groundwater treatment systems will be installed near a military base in northern Michigan to address contamination from high levels of toxic, widely used “forever chemicals,” the U.S. Department of Defense announced Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)

PFAS-containing foam is usually bright-white in color, is lightweight and sometimes piles up along shores or blows onto beaches. Some studies link high exposure to certain PFAS with high cholesterol and liver damage, as well as other health effects.

“Science tells us that the risk of PFAS entering your body through your skin is low, but you can accidentally swallow PFAS and other chemicals or bacteria if you do not rinse off or bathe after touching foam,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive at MDHHS.

“Rinsing off or bathing after water activities will help protect people from chemicals and bacteria that may be in foam or water,” Bagdasarian went on to say.

And also think about your pets–the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends you don’t let your animals touch or swallow foam from a body of water.

Animals are at risk of swallowing foam that has built up in their fur when they are grooming themselves, officials said. If your animal touches any foam, you should rinse them off and bathe theme in fresh water.

If you have any questions about form or exposure to PFAS, you can call the MDHHS Environmental Health Hotline at 800-648-6942.

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