MAINE PUBLIC • January 31, 2022
State environmental officials say the costs of investigating and addressing contamination with so-called “forever chemicals” is rising exponentially in Maine and could reach tens of millions of dollars a year. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has identified roughly 700 sites located in nearly three dozen towns throughout the state that have been deemed to be at higher risk of contamination with the chemicals known as PFAS. Used for decades in a broad range of consumer products as well as firefighting foams, some varieties of PFAS have been linked to cancer, kidney malfunction and other serious health problems. The DEP has begun testing sites at the top of that list, but the process is expected to take years.