Officials To Discuss Groundwater Chemicals Near Former Air Force Base

OSCODA, Mich. (AP) — Officials have scheduled a public meeting about groundwater pollution from a firefighting chemical used at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northern Michigan.

Perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, were used for fire suppression and training at the base near Oscoda before it closed in 1993. They can enter the food chain and pose a human health risk.

State and federal agencies began sampling private residential well water last year. PFCs have turned up in wells for a mobile home park.

Officials issued a "do not eat" advisory in 2012 for fish from a marsh near the former base and an area of the lower Au Sable River.

An open house is scheduled for 2 p.m. on March 23 at Oscoda Methodist Church, followed by the community meeting at 6 p.m.

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