Dickinson County’s Ford Airport in Kingsford. (Daily News file photo)

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy on Friday announced $9 million in grants would be awarded to 19 municipal airports across the state to help monitor and remediate PFAS contamination caused by firefighting foam.

According to EGLE, the funding will be used for a wide range of purposes, including PFAS testing and monitoring, potential source control and cleanup strategies for groundwater and stormwater and to clean firefighting equipment and replace firefighter turn-out gear.

The department received a total of 21 applications requesting $14.8 million in funding, following a request for proposals from the Michigan PFAS Response Team, which was established in 2017. The team collects seven state agencies to ensure coordination in how they respond to PFAS contamination.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals used to produce things like food packaging, non-stick cookware and stain-resistant clothing. The chemicals break down very slowly over time and accumulate in the tissues of living things.

These chemicals have been linked to several negative health effects, including increased cholesterol levels, reduced immune system responses, interference with the body’s natural hormones, increased risks of multiple types of cancer and reproductive harms including decreased fertility and high blood pressure in pregnant women.

The airports receiving funding include —

— Battle Creek Executive Airport, $300,000;

— Bishop International Airport, $300,000;

— Capital Region International Airport, $300,000;

— Cherry Capital Airport (Northwest Regional Airport Authority), $1,000,000;

— Chippewa County International Airport/Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation, $475,000;

— Delta County Airport, $476,697;

— Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, $370,000;

— Ford Dickinson County Airport, $462,600;

— Former Marquette County Airport, $1,000,000;

— Gerald R. Ford International Airport, $150,000;

— Gogebic-Iron County Airport, $361,400;

— Houghton County Memorial Airport, $1,000,000;

— Kalamazoo / Battle Creek International Airport, $710,681;

— Manistee County Blacker, $150,000;

— Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport, $150,000;

— MBS International Airport, $340,202;

— Oakland County International Airport, $264,479;

— Pellston Regional Airport, $1,000,000;

— Willow Run Airport, $250,000.

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