Tigers Minor League Players Possibly Exposed to Dangerous PFAS Chemicals

As many as 25 players in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system, including current big-leaguer Nicholas Castellanos, may have been exposed to PFAS contaminants. 

According to Keith Matheny of the Detroit Free Press (h/t USA Today), Tim and Jill Osbeck have served as a host family for members of the Tigers' Single-A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps, since 2010.

However, they found out in November 2017 the water in their home in Rockford, Michigan, "tested at more than 250 times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lifetime health advisory limit for PFOS and PFOA in drinking water, a level above which a lifetime of exposure could lead to health problems."

Matheny explained there is not much research on the health effects for humans when exposed to the compounds, but they have been linked to issues such as cancer, liver disease and high cholesterol, among others.

The contamination occurred through "a groundwater plume leaching out of a long-closed landfill near [the Osbecks'] property," per Matheny. The Wolverine Worldwide shoe factory closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2010 but used to use a gravel mining operation in the area during the 1950s and 1960s as a way of disposing of the waste that contained PFAS.

Matheny noted the Osbeck family is part of a class-action lawsuit that was filed against Wolverine Worldwide.

While the entire list of players who could have been exposed through tap water or eating food that was cooked with the water at the residence was not provided to Matheny, Castellanos, who has been with the Tigers since 2013, stands out.

He has appeared in 25 games this season and is slashing .269/.325/.442 with two home runs and eight RBI.