[CPEO-MEF] PFCs: "Most states do minimum on fire-foam contamination"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Most states do minimum on fire-foam contamination

By Jennifer McDermott
Associated Press
April 29. 2016

The military is checking U.S. bases for potential groundwater contamination from a toxic firefighting foam, but most states so far show little inclination to examine civilian sites for the same threat.

The foam was likely used around the country at certain airports, refineries and other sites where catastrophic petroleum fires were a risk, but an Associated Press survey of emergency management, environmental and health agencies in all 50 states showed most haven't tracked its use and don't even know whether it was used, where or when.

Only five states - Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin - are tracking the chemicals used in the foam and spilled from other sources through ongoing water monitoring or by looking for potentially contaminated sites.

…

The 12 states that are beginning or planning to investigate the chemicals are California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington and Wyoming.

…


For the entire article, see
http://www.fosters.com/article/20160429/NEWS/160429284

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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