Read the full article by Chris Gray (Telegraph Herald)
“Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are still found in the firefighting foam used for jet fuel fires at Dubuque Regional Airport, even as the city of Dubuque budgets millions to get these chemicals out of the water supply.
The firefighting foam AFFF, or aqueous film-fighting foam, has been one of the primary sources of PFAS contamination across the country, particularly near military air bases, where the foam was used indiscriminately for decades in training exercises.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are synthetic compounds linked to birth defects and cancer. They’re called forever chemicals because of the lengthy time their carbon-fluorine bond takes to break down into safer compounds.
Municipal-airport use of the PFAS-tainted foam has been less pervasive than military airbases, but a clear link has been established at a handful of airports, including Bemidji, Minn.”…