[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "Possible Water Contamination Across MA May Be Linked To Firefighting Foam"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Possible Water Contamination Across MA May Be Linked To Firefighting Foam, Officials Say

by Jennifer Pacheco
Up to Boston (MA)
February 8, 2019

Boston, MA - State environment officials have been tracking a possible lead to a potential threat regarding the drinking water in Massachusetts; according to officials, the drinking water may be linked to a contamination issue with firefighting foam. These instances are supposedly occurring at military installations and airports. 

According to Dan Santos, director of the Barnstable Department of Public Works, the firefighter foam used to put fires out has led to possible contamination in the drinking water. The typical process used to put fires out requires the use of firefighter foam. After the foam hits the ground, it seeps into the soil and goes deeper and deeper into the ground as time goes on; it never really goes away. 

The Environmental Protection Agency stepped forward to provide some insight on the matter. According to the EPA, there should not be more than 70 parts per trillion for two chemical compounds in drinking water. These two chemical compounds are known as per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. However, the soil at the Barnstable Municipal Airport was reading in the thousands. Other areas around Joint Base Cape Cod, Devens, and Springfield have similar circumstances. All of these effects are because of the Aqueous Film Forming Foam, also known as AFFF, that military bases and airports use.

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.uptoboston.com/possible-water-contamination-across-ma-may-be-linked-to-firefighting-foam-officials-say/

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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