news

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to add the Gelman Sciences Inc. site in Washtenaw County to the Superfund National Priorities List. 

“Today’s decision to place the Gelman Sciences Inc. site on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List marks a major milestone for the Ann Arbor community and for everyone who has worked for years to hold Gelman Sciences accountable and ensure this contamination receives the resources it deserves. 

“For six decades, residents, local officials, and advocates have raised concerns about the spread of the 1,4-dioxane plume and the long-term risks it poses to drinking water, public health, and the environment. Listing the Gelman site on the NPL will help bring additional federal tools, authorities, oversight, and resources to support a cleanup and long-term strategy to protect public health.

“I want to thank EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel for recognizing the urgency of this issue, and for working closely with my office and the community to confirm this designation. This step reflects years of persistence from people who refused to let this problem be ignored. 

“While this designation is an important step forward, our work is far from finished. I will continue working with the EPA, state and local partners, and the community to ensure the cleanup is transparent, drinking water is safe, and public health is protected. The people of Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities deserve certainty that their health, water, and environment are protected.”

Gelman Sciences operated as a medical filter manufacturer from 1966 until 1986 near Ann Arbor, Michigan. The facility’s unregulated waste handling created a plume of the industrial solvent 1,4-dioxane, which has spread and contaminated groundwater in Ann Arbor and Scio Townships. Surrounding communities have lived with the impacts of 1,4-dioxane contamination near the Gelman Sciences, which was first detected in 1985.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell has long advocated for the Gelman dioxane plume to be designated as a Superfund site. For years, she has worked with federal, state, and local officials to push for stronger oversight, accountability, and resources to protect drinking water and public health. In 2023, Dingell announced the plume had been deemed eligible by the EPA for inclusion on the NPL. In 2024, the EPA proposed adding Gelman Sciences to the NPL. The posting on March 12, 2026, to the Federal Register formally added the site to the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List.