BRUNSWICK, Maine — Firefighting foam has been removed from a hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport and work is underway to fix problems in four retention ponds after Maine’s worst accident leakage of the fire extinguishing agent On Monday, officials said this is not the case.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised the public to avoid or limit the consumption of freshwater fish from four nearby bodies of water after an accidental discharge of firefighting foam containing harmful chemicals (PFAS).
An investigation is underway into what caused a fire suppression system in Hangar 4 to discharge on Aug. 19, releasing 1,450 gallons (5,490 liters) of firefighting foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) of water onto the former Navy base. Federal records show the spill is the largest accidental release in Maine since record keeping began in the 1990s.
Aircraft that were doused are undergoing a final cleaning in the hangar, and then the hangar will be cleaned for a final time, officials said Monday. Four vacuum trucks were brought in to remove foam from the retention ponds, officials said.
PFAS have been linked to health problems, including several types of cancer, and they are found in everything from from food packaging to clothingin addition to firefighting foam. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency for the first time proposed limits about the so-called permanent chemicals in drinking water.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is overseeing the cleanup of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, now known as Brunswick Landing. The base, which officially closed in 2011, had automated firefighting in large hangars that once housed P-3 Orion patrol planes and other aircraft.