An undated photo of PFAS foam at Oscoda Township's Ratliff Park beach on Van Etten Lake in Oscoda Township near Wurtsmith Air Force Base.

(Michigan DEQ)

At a Glance

Residents in the area aren't happy about the unsightly and toxic foam along the shores of Michigan's Van Etten Lake.The foam is comprised of per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which can cause birth defects and cancer.The foam originates from nearby Wurtsmith Air Force Base.In December, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality lodged a complaint against the Air Force.

Residents who live on a small lake in northeastern Michigan are angry that state officials have reportedly done little to halt a repeated buildup of toxic foam along the lake's coast.

The sticky piles of foam that contain per-and-polyfluoroalkyl(PFAS) substances and wash up on theshores of Van Etten Lake originatefrom a plume that enters the lake via groundwaterfrom nearby Wurtsmith Air Force Base, a former nuclear B-2 bomber base.For years, the baseused firefighting foam , Michigan Radio reported.

Residents in the area are none too happy about the unsightly and dangerous foam.

“Well, I’ve noticed it off and on now for a couple years. At first, I thought it was just the normal foam you see against the shore, but then I saw that it looked a little like plastic or something,” resident Ross Tingley told the radio station.

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Tingley said he and his family paid little attention to the foam until he read a notice in the local newspaper last year warning residents to steer clear of the foam.

An undated photo of PFAS foam sampling on Van Etten Lake in Oscoda Township near Wurtsmith Air Force Base.

(Michigan DEQ)

Greg Cole, who operates the Van Etten Creek dam and owns a lakefront cottage rental business with his wife, Vicky, told MLive.com they have "."

"(It's) affecting our business, our environment and our property values," he added.

Kory Groetsch, the environmental public health director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, told Michigan Radio the state isaware of the issue and wants residents to be educated about the dangers of the perfluorinated chemicals contained in the foam.

He noted, however, that the state has no plans to clean up the PFAS that has seeped into the groundwater, noting that a dispute has continued over who is responsible for the cleanup.

In December, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality against the Air Force, alleging that "more effort and more work needs to be focused on addressing the environmental and human health risks posed by the PFAS plume emanating from the WAFB."

On Jan. 19, WAFB was issued a for failing to install a required secondPFAS treatment system. The notice stipulates construction of the treatment system, which may or may not affect the amount of PFAS released into the environment,must be completed by July 15, 2018.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and cancer, can affect the thyroid and liver and can suppress the immune system.