Native America Calling: Tribes addressing the ‘forever chemical’ problem

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Wednesday, September 25, 2024

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Tribes addressing the ‘forever chemical’ problem

Two years after the Environmental Protection Agency found high levels of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contamination in the drinking water at the K-12 tribal school on the Leech Lake Reservation, students and staff are still forced to consume only water brought in from outside the building.

Leech Lake is one place tribes are having to respond to the presence of PFAS, a class of man-made chemicals used in fire suppressing foam, water repellents on textiles, and older nonstick cookware. High PFAS exposure is connected to some health problems including cancer and thyroid disease.

Nearly 100% of Americans have PFAS in their body. Information specific to Native Americans is limited.

Join Native America Calling to talk with some tribes that are trying to address PFAS in their water and explore what can be done.

A drum group performs at a land restoration celebration held for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe at the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School on the Leech Lake Reservation in Bena, Minnesota, on July 17, 2024. Photo by Robert Ferdinandt / U.S. Forest Service

Guests on Native America Calling

Laurie Harper (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), director of education for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, headquartered in Minnesota

Michael Jacobs (Waccamaw Siouan Tribe), Chief of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe in North Carolina

Fred Corey, natural resources assistant at the Mi’kmaq (Micmac) Environmental Laboratory, owned and operated by the Mi’kmaq Nation in Maine

Dr. Kimberly Garrett, environmental health toxicologist at Northeastern University