[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: Maine task force

[Lenny Siegel]

Mills forms task force to study impact of ‘forever chemicals’ in Maine

By Kevin Miller
Portland Press Herald (ME)
March 6, 2019

AUGUSTA - Gov. Janet Mills issued an executive order Wednesday that creates a task force to determine the scope of contamination in Maine from a chemical compound linked to cancer and other health problems.

The chemicals, known as perfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, were used for decades in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpeting, food packaging and firefighting foam. While PFAS are no longer manufactured in the U.S., there is growing concern about drinking-water contamination – particularly near military bases – from a long-lasting chemical that accumulates in the body over time.

Maine has several known PFAS contamination sites, including the former Brunswick Naval Air Station and in a source well for a York County water district. But there are likely other sites, given the prevalence of the chemical.

“That is why it is important for the state to identify any locations in Maine where PFAS are prevalent; examine its effects on drinking water, freshwater fish and marine organisms; and take steps to create and implement treatment and disposal options,” Mills said in a statement. “The EPA is dragging its feet on the issue, leaving states to take the lead.”

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For the entire article, see
https://www.pressherald.com/2019/03/06/mills-creates-task-force-to-study-prevalence-of-chemical-contaminant/

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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 at cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org