HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The recent spill of firefighting foam containing hazardous chemicals into a Connecticut river has some experts in the state worried about potential health and environmental risks.
The foam, which contains perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, or PFAS, is being used and stored at more than 300 fire departments across the state.
Jeff Morrissette, the state fire administrator, tells the Hartford Courant there is “no way of knowing” how much of the foam is being used to fight fires and for training.
PFAS compounds like those found in the foam that leaked into the Farmington River earlier this month have been linked to reproductive problems, kidney cancer and other illnesses.
State health officials test major public drinking water systems for PFAS, but so far none of those systems have shown levels above federal safety standards.
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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com
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