Group will test Casco Bay for PFAS for 1st time
For the first time, a group will be testing Casco Bay for “forever chemicals.”
The Friends of Casco Bay, along with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, will be testing water quality at 20 locations across Casco Bay.
The group has spent 30 years gathering data about temperature changes, dissolved oxygen, pH, total nitrogen, water clarity, salinity and the abundance of phytoplankton in Casco Bay. This year will mark the first time when it has collected data about potential contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, also known as PFAS.
“There is an important gap in PFAS testing in Maine,” Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca said Tuesday morning. “Current monitoring for contamination in sources like drinking water, fish tissues, and wastewater appropriately focus on public health. However, we don’t know how PFAS pollution is affecting water quality and the environment more broadly, especially in tidal waters like Casco Bay.”
PFAS first came into use in the 1940s, and were widely used for their water-, grease- and stain-resistant properties. But the chemicals are not easily broken down in either the environment or human body, which is why they are often referred to as “forever chemicals.”
Exposure to them is linked to increased risk of health problems and certain cancers.
The extent of PFAS contamination has prompted the state to place “do not eat” orders on deer and turkey in the Fairfield area, as well as caution Mainers against eating fish from many ponds, lakes and rivers.