1,600 gallons of forever chemicals released in Maine

Following a malfunctioning fire suppression system at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine on Monday, approximately 1,600 gallons of “forever chemicals” were released.

According to officials from the Maine Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) and the Brunswick Executive Airport, the incident occurred in Hangar 4, where the automated system unexpectedly activated and set off a series of wall-mounted cannons of foam to be released. About 1,600 gallons of the firefighting foam, laced with hazardous per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), was released along with 60,000 gallons of water, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

PFAS are a class of chemicals that can be found in a range of everyday products, from toilet paper to food packaging, cosmetics and dental floss. Nicknamed “forever chemicals,” these compounds break down very slowly over time and stick around in the surrounding environment.

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The widespread nature of forever chemicals have been concerning as numerous studies have found associations between PFAS exposure and increased blood cholesterol and blood pressure, reduced immunity, reproductive issues and an increased risk of certain cancers, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports.

The Brunswick Naval Air Station, which officially closed in 2011, had mandated automated fire suppression systems in its large hangars.

According to WMTW, an ABC-affiliated station in Maine, the former Naval Air Station Brunswick is now called Brunswick Landing and is the site of the Brunswick Executive Airport.

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Brunswick Landing also :includes four flight schools, four educational institutions, more than 750 housing units, a technology business incubator and nearly 160 businesses that employ more than 2,500 people,” WMTW reported.

While the cause of the system’s failure is still under investigation, cleanup efforts are already underway as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is overseeing the effort with Clean Harbors of South Portland deploying vacuum trucks, containment booms and tanks to mitigate the spill, the AP reported.

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“We take this situation very seriously and are committed to addressing the cleanup with the utmost urgency and transparency,” Kristine Logan, MRRA’s executive director told the AP.

Newsweek reached out to the Maine Regional Redevelopment Authority via email on Tuesday for comment.

The incident comes amid a broader concern regarding forever chemicals and possible groundwater contamination leading to health risks.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on these chemicals in drinking water. In addition, some fire departments began a shift away from PFAS-containing firefighting foams. This includes several fire departments in New Hampshire, where the state last week initiated a program to collect and safely dispose of such foams.

Meanwhile, a 2023 study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that about half of all U.S. tap water was found to contain some PFAS chemicals with New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania having the highest level of contamination.