The state’s ambitious multiyear investigation into PFAS contamination from sludge-based fertilizer is not yet halfway done, but costs are mounting as new federal protections arise from mounting scientific evidence of potential human health risks.
forever chemicals
Posted inLocal & State, News
Forever chemicals in sludge fertilizer pose cancer risk, EPA says
Draft findings published Tuesday echo what Maine has been saying since 2022, when it became the first state to ban the use of sludge as fertilizer because of high concentrations of harmful PFAS.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
PFAS in Maine can travel from stream to ski trail through snowmaking
Harmful and persistent forever chemicals that accumulate in some water bodies can be sprayed onto slopes by machine, but the extent of the risk is unknown.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine’s toxic firefighting foam shipped out of state to poor areas
Newly released records show more than 22,000 gallons of PFAS-laden foam and rinse water recovered after the recent Brunswick spill were trucked to waste incinerators in low-income communities far from Maine’s borders.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Deer and wild turkey contaminated with PFAS? What you need to know
An advisory against eating meat from certain parts of the state is the latest consequence of Maine’s history of spreading sewage sludge for fertilizer. The sludge has since been found to be high in harmful forever chemicals.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
PFAS-free firefighting foam coming to Portland International Jetport
The Portland Fire Department says the PFAS-free foam should be fully installed in the airport’s 3 trucks by mid-November.
Posted inLocal & State, News
EPA: Navy has ‘ultimate responsibility’ to address Brunswick chemical spill
The head of the federal agency’s Superfund program told the Navy in a Sept. 26 letter that it must ‘take any and all actions necessary to address the recent spill of AFFF at Hangar 4 and to ensure protection of human health and the environment.’
Posted inLocal & State, News
Foam spill flushes wave of toxic chemicals into troubled Androscoggin River
‘We will be dealing with the fallout of this for generations to come,’ says Ed Friedman, chairman of Friends of Merrymeeting Bay.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Toxic foam risks persist at other ‘deficient’ Brunswick airport hangars
Inspection reports from 14 months ago show unaddressed deficiencies in 2 sprinkler systems that still use aqueous film-forming foam that contains forever chemicals.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News, Politics
Maine congressional delegation presses Navy for help with Brunswick chemical spill
The Navy still owns the airport hangar where 51,000 gallons of toxic firefighting foam was discharged after an overhead fire suppression system with a deficient service record malfunctioned.