YPSILANTI, MI – U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell raised her voice Tuesday night when a constituent suggested she and other lawmakers aren’t approaching the issue of PFAS with enough urgency.

“Don’t anybody think we’re calm. We are your damn fighters and we’re not going to stop,” the Dearborn Democrat told several dozen residents at Eastern Michigan University Aug. 20.

“We’ve seen up to 20 bills introduced on addressing PFAS in this Congress. We’re very focused on it.”

During a two-hour panel discussion, Dingell and Ann Arbor-area state lawmakers, along with local experts, discussed the challenges with addressing toxic PFAS chemicals showing up in water supplies, including Ann Arbor’s drinking water from the Huron River.

PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have links to cancer, liver damage, birth defects and autoimmune diseases.