Over 1,600 gallons of PFAS firefighting foam spills into environment in Maine

By Nick Song | wbur | August 21, 2024

Read the full article by Nick Song (wbur)

"Over 1,600 gallons of firefighting foam containing hazardous PFAS "forever chemicals" spilled in Brunswick, Maine early Monday morning after a fire suppression system malfunctioned at the former Brunswick Naval Air Base.

The foam was discharged in a hangar at what's now the Brunswick Executive Airport before entering the sewer and storm water systems. The firefighting foam, AFFF, contains PFAS chemicals that smother jet fuel fires.

"There was a large black outlet pipe, just discharging, pumping, basically foam out in the downstream side of the pond," Walker said. "So the entire stream bed was covered in this thick foam, getting up into the tree branches. It was so, so high. And then later this afternoon, as the wind started kicking in, the stuff went airborne."

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• ProductsFirefighting foam
• SourcesAirports
• SourcesMilitary bases
• Affected community
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses