Read the full article by Sam Lemonick (Harpswell Anchor)
“Eider ducks and bald eagles that nest in and around Harpswell have high levels of PFAS chemicals following an August 2024 spill of firefighting foam on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Scientists from the Portland-based Biodiversity Research Institute found themselves in a unique position after the spill, when 50,000 gallons of PFAS-containing foam left over from the U.S. Navy’s firefighting system entered streams and waterways that drain into Harpswell Cove.
As it happened, the institute’s researchers had been testing eider ducks in Casco Bay for mercury since about 2015. Having data from before an accident like the Brunswick spill ‘almost never happens,’ said Christine Gardner, director of the institute’s toxicology laboratory. ‘You only study a site after the spill happens.’
PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of chemicals used in a wide variety of products, including nonstick pans, furniture, and firefighting foams. They dissolve in water, and studies suggest ingesting PFAS might increase the risk of certain cancers, lead to developmental delays in children, and affect reproductive health. The same stability that makes PFAS useful in high-temperature applications also means they degrade very slowly or never in nature, giving them the nickname ‘forever chemicals.'”…