The U.S. Navy had been planning to remove thousands of gallons of PFAS-laden firefighting foam from Brunswick Executive Airport next month, when a large portion of that foam was instead released during a spill on Monday that sent some of the toxic chemicals into the environment.
During a news conference held by state and local officials on Wednesday afternoon, Kristine Logan, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, said that the navy is still planning to come to Brunswick on Sept. 16 to remove the remaining foam from the airport that wasn’t part of the accidental dump.
Because of health and environmental concerns surrounding PFAS, which can cause cancer, birth defects and other health issues over long periods of exposure, the U.S. military is required to remove PFAS-containing firefighting foam from airports by October of this year, under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020. The military is supposed to replace the foam with a different material that does not contain PFAS.
On Monday, the fire suppression system in hangar 4 at the Brunswick airport, which used to be a naval base, malfunctioned and released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film forming foam, which contains what’s commonly known as forever chemicals, into the hangar and the surrounding environment.
While the Authority considers what safer firefighting materials to use at the airport, Logan said any planes stored in hangars without a working suppression system will be required to defuel beforehand.
“We’re trying not to bring back the firefighting foam. We’re looking for alternatives,” Logan said.
It’s not the first time the toxic foam has been accidentally released in Maine.
An unknown amount of it was released in 2019 during a test of the fire suppression system at the Brunswick airport, Logan said. Last week, tests at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone revealed PFAS contamination in groundwater due to toxic foam release.
Amy Lachance, drinking water program manager for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Wednesday that Brunswick’s drinking water remains safe after the spill. The only well field nearby the spill that feeds into the Brunswick & Topsham Water District was deactivated on Monday, and will remain deactivated until the threat is mitigated, she said during the press conference.
Officials continue to test drinking and groundwater in the area. Some initial results are expected to come back Friday, said Melanie Loyzim, commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Cleanup and mitigation efforts will cost the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority millions of dollars, Logan said. The quasi-governmental organization is searching for funding from state and federal agencies to help cover the costs.