MSU Extension PFAS Contamination in Agriculture

Discovering your farm is contaminated with PFAS is overwhelming and frightening. MSU Extension is here to help. With support, most farms can make adjustments that allow them to remain in business and ultimately produce safe food if the exposure routes can be identified and removed. Please reach out for a confidential conversation about your specific needs.

Financial Assistance

Farms with unsafe levels of PFAS contamination may need to modify operations, management, or the overall business model to safely continue farming. Please contact MSU Extension for a discussion on funding for PFAS remediation on your farm.

MSU Extension has funding available for testing of water, soil, plants and animals products. Please contact Faith Cullens-Nobis for more information.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency: Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (DIPP) for Milk

USDA’s Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (DIPP) provides payments to dairy producers when a public regulatory agency directs them to remove their raw milk from the commercial market because it has been contaminated by pesticides, nuclear radiation on or fallout or toxic substances and harmful chemical residues thereof. DIPP also provides cow indemnification on to dairy producers when a public regulatory agency directs them to remove their raw milk from the commercial market because milk and dairy cows have been permanently contaminated.

DIPP payments for milk are based on the producer’s average daily produce on during a specified base period (the calendar month immediately before the month the milk is removed from the commercial market). DIPP cow indemnity payments are paid on 100% of fair market value according to the Livestock Indemnity Program pay rate for the application claim year. DIPP payments need to be approved at the national level. USDA strives to make payments within 30-45 days of receiving a completed application. For more information, contact your local USDA service center. 

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers financial assistance for sample collection and laboratory analysis to provide information to producers to determine if PFAS might be present in soil or water on their agricultural operation. For more information, contact your local USDA service center. 

Physical Health

The epidemiological evidence suggests associations between increases in exposure to (specific) PFAS and certain health effects including:

• Increases in cholesterol levels
• Lower antibody response to some vaccines
• Changes in liver enzymes
• Pregnancy hypertension and preeclampsia
• Small decreases in birth weight
• Kidney and testicular cancer

The risk of health effects associated with PFAS depends on:

• Exposure factors (e.g., dose, frequency, route, and duration)
• Individual factors (e.g., sensitivity and disease burden)
• Other determinants of health (e.g., access to safe water and quality healthcare)

Talk to your doctor if you are interested in testing your blood for PFAS. Together you can discuss what testing your blood for PFAS means in terms of benefits, harms, and next steps (such as follow- up appointments), as well as whether your insurance will pay for this test. Clinicians should offer PFAS blood testing to patients likely to have a history of elevated exposure, such as from contaminated water.

Michigan’s PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) has several resources available, including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Toxicology Hotline at 800-648-6942 if you are concerned about PFAS exposure.  https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/-/media/Project/Websites/mdhhs/Folder4/Folder3/Folder3/Folder103/Folder2/Folder203/Folder1/Folder303/FINAL_Blood_Testing_for_PFAS-_Patient_Handout.pdf?rev=e3e32fbbf1f8448e92f7ff917ab81a97&hash=BD49E6EEA7E6E9C7719BCB46C4FBCEFD 

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ATSDR protects communities from harmful health effects related to exposure to natural and man-made hazardous. ATSDR has many resources available on the health effects of PFAS and data from multi-year studies of PFAS concentrations in the blood of US residents.

More information from the ATSDR can be found at:

• ATSDR Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Your Health 
• ATSDR – What are the health effects of PFAS? 
• ATSDR – PFAS Information for Clinicians – 2024
• PFAS Factsheet – Information for Clinicians

Mental Health

If you’re concerned about yourself, a family member, a friend or a neighbor, MSU Extension has a suite of resources and educators that can help identify and manage stress. Stress is your body’s natural reaction to any kind of threat that disrupts life as usual. While not all stress is bad, ongoing stress can lead to mental and physical health effects. Producers experiencing stress can take advantage of free teletherapy sessions, courses on managing stress, and MSU Extension Educators available to assist with farm financial planning.

Data has shown that farmers experience higher rates of suicide than the general population. If you are concerned that someone you know may be considering suicide, it is important to know how to help. Listen to their thoughts, provide reassurance and encourage them to seek out professional help or other support strategies.

Farm Aid’s Farmer Hotline: 1-800-FARM-AID (1-800-327-6243)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (ENG), 1-888-628-9454 (ESP)

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a free nationwide hotline available 24/7 (calls, chats, or texts) for anyone experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis.  

- ATSDR Resources on coping with stress caused by environmental contamination

Communication with Consumers

If you discover that your farm is contaminated with PFAS, having a conversation with those consuming your products is an important step in the process. Consumers may not know what PFAS are, hear exaggerated rumors and be afraid for their health. MSU Extension has a ready-made handout you can use to talk to your consumers. In conversations with consumers, it is important to stress:

• PFAS contamination in farm products was not intentional. These chemicals can enter farmland in a variety of ways that are out of the farmer’s control
• Health effects are seen after chronic exposure to PFAS contamination. It is unlikely that short term, infrequent or low-level exposure will result in a detrimental health effect.
• Michigan is a leader in the nation on PFAS testing, research and mitigation. Buying local is the best way to have knowledge about the food supply.
• There are no food safety standards or reporting requirements. Just because other products are not known to contain PFAS, that does not mean they are PFAS-free.
• Some products may be labeled “PFOA free” or “PFOS free” but this does not mean they are “PFAS free”. PFAS is a large class of thousands of different chemical compounds.
• Food is not the only source of PFAS. PFAS are encountered all over in our daily lives, and there are steps we can take to reduce PFAS exposure:
  • Test your drinking water for PFAS
  • Follow fish consumption advisories
  • Avoid purchasing carpets, furniture, and clothing that is stain resistant
  • Avoid cookware that is non-stick
  • Buy from companies with a PFAS free commitment