Group will take a look at Casco Bay for PFAS for 1st time
For the primary time, a bunch might be testing Casco Bay for “endlessly chemical substances.”
The Associates of Casco Bay, together with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, might be testing water high quality at 20 areas throughout Casco Bay.
The group has spent 30 years gathering knowledge about temperature adjustments, dissolved oxygen, pH, whole nitrogen, water readability, salinity and the abundance of phytoplankton in Casco Bay. This yr will mark the primary time when it has collected knowledge about potential contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, also called PFAS.
“There is a crucial hole in PFAS testing in Maine,” Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca stated Tuesday morning. “Present monitoring for contamination in sources like ingesting water, fish tissues, and wastewater appropriately give attention to public well being. Nonetheless, we don’t understand how PFAS air pollution is affecting water high quality and the setting extra broadly, particularly in tidal waters like Casco Bay.”
PFAS first got here into use within the Nineteen Forties, and had been extensively used for his or her water-, grease- and stain-resistant properties. However the chemical substances aren’t simply damaged down in both the setting or human physique, which is why they’re also known as “endlessly chemical substances.”
Publicity to them is linked to elevated threat of well being issues and sure cancers.
The extent of PFAS contamination has prompted the state to put “don’t eat” orders on deer and turkey within the Fairfield space, in addition to warning Mainers towards consuming fish from many ponds, lakes and rivers.
