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Bill mandating end to use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams becomes law in Alaska

Amelia Landess

Photo credit: Yereth Rosen / Alaska Beacon - Waters of Anchorage's Lake Hood and, beyond it, Lake Spenard are seen on Wednesday behind a parked seaplane. The connected lakes, located at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, comprise a busy seaplane center. A study by Alaska Community Action on Toxics published last year found that the two lakes had, by far, the highest levels of PFAS contamination of several Anchorage- and Fairbanks-area waterways the organization tested. Under a bill that became law this week, PFAS-containing firefighting foams that used to be common at airports will no longer be allowed in Alaska.

Read the full article by Yereth Rosen (Alaska Beacon)

“Alaska firefighting departments will have to stop using fire-suppression foams containing contaminants known as ‘forever chemicals,’ under a law that went into effect on Monday.

The new law is the product of a bill, Senate Bill 67, that legislators passed nearly unanimously. It went into effect without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature.

The new law targets Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, known as PFAS. They have qualities making them resistant to fire, water and oil. They are linked to numerous poor health effects, including developmental delays, compromised immune systems, reproductive problems and certain cancers according to the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”…

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