Michigan airports awarded grants to respond to PFAS pollution

Carol Thompson, The Detroit News on Jan 18, 2026

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Airports across Michigan were awarded state grants to help cover the costs of responding to PFAS, a class of man-made pollutants common in fire suppression foam used at airports, the state's environmental department announced Friday.

Airport officials can use the money to test for PFAS, monitor the pollution, control the pollution, clean groundwater and stormwater and replace or clean equipment, according to a press release from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

State lawmakers in 2022 set aside more than $11.6 million for PFAS response grants to local units of government, including municipal and independent airport authorities. They set aside another $2 million in 2023 to support purchasing PFAS-free firefighting equipment or for cleaning out existing equipment.

Twenty-one airports applied for the PFAS cleanup funding that EGLE announced Friday. Nineteen airports received awards that totaled $9 million, the department said. The awards ranged from $150,000 to $1 million. This is the final round of grant funding; $9.6 million were awarded from 2020-2022.

PFAS is a class of thousands of compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or "forever chemicals." They do not break down in the environment, so they stick around after they are released in firefighting foam or other materials.

Exposure to PFAS can be dangerous to people's health, state and federal health department officials say. Some PFAS compounds are linked to problems such as cancer, increased cholesterol, high blood pressure during pregnancy, low birth weights and more.

PFAS compounds are used in everyday consumer goods such as nonstick cookware, food packaging and water or stain-resistant fabrics. They also have been commonly used to make fire suppression foams known as AFFF used by airport staff during trainings and emergencies to extinguish fires in flammable liquids like petroleum. That means PFAS pollution is a common problem at airports.

There are 371 sites in Michigan where environmental investigators say there is confirmed or suspected PFAS pollution. At least 22 of them are airports, former airports or air force bases, including Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Oakland County International Airport in Waterford and Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti.

Fire chiefs are supposed to report their use of AFFF to the Michigan Pollution Emergency Alert System hotline, 800-292-4706. As of 2020, they also are not supposed to use foam that contains intentionally added PFAS during training exercises, according to the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team. Michigan also runs an AFFF collection and disposal program.

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