firefighting foam News

After Firefighting Foam Spill, Maine Water Tests Below Danger Level

Maine environmental officials said all water samples analyzed so far in the wake of the state’s largest recorded accidental spill of firefighting foam are below its guidelines for potentially dangerous chemicals. A fire suppression system at a hangar at Brunswick …

Report Found System Issues Prior to Firefighting Foam Spill at Airport

A fire suppression system at a Brunswick Executive Airport hangar showed deficiencies about a year before it discharged gallons of firefighting foam containing harmful chemicals in Maine’s biggest accidental spill of the fire suppressant on record, according to a recently …

Cleanup Progresses After Spill of Firefighting Foam at Former Navy Base

Firefighting foam in a hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport has been been removed, and mitigation is underway on four retention ponds following Maine’s biggest accidental spill of the fire suppressant on record, officials said Monday. The Maine Center for Disease …

Residents of PFAS-Polluted Island File $42M in Claims Against Wisconsin City

A CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – Residents of an island polluted with PFAS chemicals have filed claims demanding more than $40 million from a western Wisconsin city they say is responsible for the contamination. As of June 2021, more than 500 …

Firefighting Foam Contaminates Public Water for About 9,000 in Maine

WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) – Firefighting foam used in battling a fatal fire in an apartment building entered the public water system, prompting the water district to order thousands of residents not to drink the water. The do-not-drink order went into …

Massachusetts Joins States Suing Makers, Marketers of ‘Forever Chemicals’

Massachusetts has sued more than a dozen companies involved in the manufacture or marketing of so-called forever chemicals, alleging they knowingly polluted the environment and endangered public health, state Attorney General Maura Healey said Wednesday. The companies have known about …

U.S. Approves Fire Retardant That Could Be ‘Game-Changer’ in Fighting Wildfires

U.S. officials on this week approved a long-lasting fire retardant that could significantly aid in fighting increasingly destructive wildfires by stopping them before they ever start. The U.S. Forest Service approved Perimeter Solutions’ fire retardant that is intended to be …

Airports Urged to Avoid Using Firefighting Foam With PFAS

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it had urged U.S. airports to limit the use of firefighting foam with the chemical PFAS due to the environmental and public health risks as it evaluates possible alternatives. PFAS, nicknamed “forever chemicals” because …

Wisconsin Governor Signs Bill Creating New Restrictions on Firefighting Foam

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed a bill that imposes new restrictions on firefighting foam to curb pollution from PFAS chemicals. The bill prohibits the use of foam containing intentionally added PFAS except in emergency fire situations. Firefighters will have …

New York Bans Use of Toxic Chemical in Firefighting Foam

New York plans to restrict the use of firefighting foam that contains certain chemicals that have the potential to contaminate groundwater. Firefighting foam can contain polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are man-made chemicals that research suggests can decrease female fertility, …