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Participants will get a $75 gift card as a thank you for their time
LANSING – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is asking Michigan residents in Mason and Oceana counties to join the Michigan Chemical Exposure Monitoring (MiChEM) program.
The MiChEM program started in 2022 and is an ongoing statewide effort to gather data on the amount of chemicals in the blood and urine of Michigan residents, including lead and PFAS.
Fifty different areas of the state were randomly selected to represent the state as a whole. Over the next few weeks, households in Oceana and Mason counties will receive program invitations. Any adult who receives a MiChEM invitation in the mail from MDHHS can follow the steps to sign up.
The MiChEM team will be in Oceana and Mason counties October 21-23. Appointments are on a first come, first served basis. Households that received an invitation or participated before can register again. The MiChEM team will only be in each area for a short time and encourages households to register as soon as possible.
“MiChEM is an ongoing program that helps us see how chemical exposures change over time in Michigan. We can use this information to take action to reduce those exposures,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “I encourage Michiganders to take part in this important program.”
One adult will be randomly selected to participate from each registered household. Taking part in this program is completely free. Participants will receive their individual lab results. As a thank you for their time, participants will get a $75 gift card.
People who are randomly selected to participate will take a survey. They will also be asked to give blood and urine samples. These samples will then be analyzed for certain chemicals at the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories.
People can come in contact with chemicals in what they eat and drink, in products they use, at work and in air, soil and water. By gathering data across Michigan over time, MDHHS can see trends in how residents come in contact with chemicals. MDHHS can look at trends in the data to determine the best actions to take to reduce exposure. These actions can include creating programs, improving laws related to chemical use and studying sources and health effects of chemical exposures.
For more information, visit Michigan.gov/DEHBio.
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