Read the full article by Christine Condon (Maryland Matters).
“In dark corners and supply closets in firehouses across Maryland sit gallons upon gallons of a toxic firefighting foam that firefighters can no longer use.
In 2022, the state legislature passed a law banning the use of firefighting foams laden with PFAS, a class of heat- and oil-resistant chemicals, many of which have been linked to cancer, reproductive harms and other ailments.
But about four years later, the state doesn’t have a plan to get rid of the foam, leaving fire departments around the state scratching their heads.
‘I hate to say it, but it seems like the gears of government run slow,’ said Robert Phillips, the legislative chair for the Maryland State Firefighters Association.
In April, the Maryland Department of the Environment put out a new call for proposals to local contractors to collect and destroy the contaminated foam, called aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF. It came after outcry on the Senate floor from Sen. Jack Bailey (R-Calvert and St. Mary’s), a sponsor of the 2022 legislation.”…