PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Half-buried under dirt and leaves behind Tedd Ryfiak’s home on House Street NE in Belmont is more of what’s already been uncovered in the area: rusty barrels, mounds of leather scraps and chunks of an unknown glue-like substance.
The illegal dump is the third discovered near Wolverine Worldwide’s former legal landfill. Chemicals dumped there decades ago are now being blamed for contaminating well water in the area.
The Ryfiaks’ well has among the highest levels of that chemical — PFOS, which was in the Scotchgard used to waterproof Wolverine’s shoes — found in the neighborhood. Their biggest concern is the health of their three children. The Environmental Protection Agency has said PFOS is a likely carcinogen and it’s been linked to other illnesses, too.
“You don’t want get told one day, ‘Hey, by the way, we poisoned your kids for however long you’ve been living here,’” Beatriz Ryfiak, Tedd Ryfiak’s ex-wife, told 24 Hour News 8 Tuesday.
The Ryfiaks, along with others who live on House Street, are also worried their property value will plummet because of the contaminated water.
“Who’s going to want to buy this house? We probably don’t want it anymore but no one else is going to take it,” Beatriz Ryfiak said.
While contamination has only been confirmed in wells near the old landfill on House Street, the concerns reach far beyond that. Three other suspected Wolverine Worldwide dump sites have been discovered elsewhere around Rockford, prompting more testing, more health concerns and more questions about home values.
“I’m sure it’s going to impact the marketability just because of the amount of unknowns,” appraiser John Meyer told 24 Hour News 8 Tuesday.
Full Story on WOODTV8