Groundwater Near 59 MN Landfills Contaminated With PFAS Chemicals

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency officials have flagged groundwater near 59 landfills for exceeding the state’s PFAS chemical level guidelines.

The chemicals (sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals”) are a group of man-made chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including the United State, since the 1940s. The reason they are used is because of their strong durability and resistance to breaking down. The MPCA is seeing high levels of them in the environment and wants Congress to give them the power to combat this problem.

The MPCA says there are 15 landfills with PFAS contamination at least 10 times higher than acceptable limits, and one landfill in Marion County registered more than 1,000 times higher.