Maine workers advance in cleaning up spilled firefighting foam at former Navy base

In Brunswick, Maine, officials revealed on Monday that firefighting foam has been successfully removed from a hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport. Efforts are now focused on addressing the impact of the foam in four retention ponds, following what is considered Maine’s largest accidental spill of the fire suppressant to date. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has cautioned against consuming or limiting the consumption of freshwater fish from the affected bodies of water due to potential contamination by harmful chemicals known as PFAS, present in the firefighting foam.

The discharge occurred on August 19 when a fire suppression system malfunctioned in Hangar 4, resulting in the release of 1,450 gallons (5,490 liters) of firefighting foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) of water at the former Navy base. Records indicate that this incident marks the largest accidental discharge in Maine since tracking began in the 1990s. Aircraft exposed to the foam are currently undergoing final cleaning within the hangar, followed by a comprehensive cleaning of the hangar itself. To address the contamination in the retention ponds, four vacuum trucks have been deployed for foam removal.

PFAS, known for their association with various health issues including cancer, can be found in a range of products such as food packaging, clothing, and firefighting foam. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed restrictions on these “forever chemicals” in drinking water for the first time. The remediation process at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, now renamed Brunswick Landing, is being overseen by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The base, officially closed in 2011, previously featured automated fire suppression systems in its large hangars that once housed P-3 Orion patrol aircraft and other planes.