Local PFAS activist headed to meeting at the United Nations

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Sandy Wynn-Stelt never thought she would become a national activist when PFAS was found nearly eight years ago in an old landfill across from her home, and in her well and her blood.

But next week, her second career will continue when she joins a national PFAS coalition at the United Nations in New York.

“Going to the UN was not on my bingo card; doing any of this is not,” she said on Friday.

It all started in January 2017 across from her home on House Street NE in Belmont, north of Grand Rapids. The PFAS discovered in the former Wolverine Worldwide House Street dump led to millions of dollars in settlements for residents and municipal water to replace contaminated wells.

Wynn-Stelt’s husband died of cancer; she’s recovering after being diagnosed several years ago with a cancer linked to PFAS. Tests found 5 million parts per trillion of the chemical in her blood . She has spoken to Congress, has met with policy makers, has fought to lower PFAS levels in water and is co-chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network.

On Tuesday, she will join three others from the National PFAS Contamination Coalition at the UN for a session about sustainability and how their fight has helped to defend human rights. Another member of the coalition, Emily Donovan, who fought against PFAS pollution at Cape Fear in North Carolina, will speak at the UN meeting.

“I think we’re there as an example of when communities come together and advocate, we can really show the harmful effects that these chemicals have done, and we can encourage our decision-makers to take action,” Wynn-Stelt said.

The coalition pushed for new EPA standards for PFAS in drinking water. The EPA in April set the first ever national limits that will require utilities to reduce the amount of the chemical in water. Officials say it will reduce exposure for 100 million people and help prevent illnesses, including cancers.

PFAS, once used on everything from shoes to nonstick pans for waterproofing and heat resistance, are known as “forever chemicals.” They don’t degrade in the environment and are linked to health issues including low birth weight, liver disease and some cancers.

“I still feel like I’m way in over my head, going and doing something like this, but I also feel like I have to do this,” Wynn-Stelt said. “People have to step up and say things.”

Across House Street from her home, crews continue to cap the old landfill . The work is expected to wrap up this fall.

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