A former US navy base in Maine has caused one of the largest accidental spills of toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" ever recorded in the nation, raising concerns of a possible cover-up by state officials. Public health advocates suspect that the authorities are reporting misleading and incomplete data in an attempt to downplay the scale of the contamination.

The spill occurred due to a malfunctioning fire suppression system in a hangar at the Brunswick naval air station near Maine's coast. Approximately 51,000 gallons of PFAS-laden firefighting foam were released into nearby surface water, resulting in alarming levels of PFAS contamination. Shockingly, the levels in the foam reached as high as 4.3 billion parts per trillion (ppt), while the drinking water limit for some PFAS compounds is just 4 ppt.

Critics have accused the government of inadequate communication and problematic data reporting. Sarah Woodbury, the director of Defend Our Health, a Maine-based nonprofit focused on PFAS issues, expressed her concerns, stating, "Causing confusion like that, however unintentional it was, just increases the distrust that people have when it comes to government dealing with catastrophes like this."

PFAS, a class of compounds used to make products resistant to water, stains, and grease, have been linked to a range of serious health problems, including cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, and kidney disease. They are notoriously known as "forever chemicals" because they do not naturally break down in the environment.

The spill occurred on 19 August, sending toxic firefighting foam into storm drains and dispersing it through the air in nearby residential and business areas. The Brunswick executive airport, part of the former naval base, was already listed as a Superfund site, indicating it as one of the nation's most polluted areas. Furthermore, the base, now under civilian control and being redeveloped, has a history of polluting the local environment with various toxins, including several smaller PFAS spills.

PFAS has been widely used in firefighting foam due to its effectiveness in extinguishing jet fuel fires, making it a major source of PFAS water pollution nationwide. Over 720 military sites have been found to have contaminated water with PFAS, although not at levels seen near the Maine spill.

Following the spill, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued "do not eat" advisories for fish in the affected areas and initiated testing of local ponds and waterways. However, there have been concerns over the way the data is being reported. For instance, a progress report on 26 August listed PFOS, one of the most common and dangerous PFAS compounds, at 3,230 parts per million (ppm), a significantly smaller figure than the staggering 3.2 billion ppt it should correspond to.

The state's decision to change the unit of measurement from ppt to ppm has caused suspicion and frustration among residents and public health advocates. Despite testing for 13 other PFAS compounds, which totaled 1.1 billion ppt, the state only disclosed the PFOS results, as it showed the highest figure and was considered the primary chemical of concern.

Calls for immediate testing of private drinking water wells in the area have been resisted by state and regional officials due to the complex hydrology in the region that could potentially spread the contamination. Public health advocates are also urging the state to provide bottled water until test results are available in several weeks, as well as conduct soil testing in the most affected areas.

The spill highlights the urgent need for the military to switch to PFAS-free firefighting foam and dispose of the old, PFAS-laden product by October 2025. However, it is unlikely that the deadline will be met, raising concerns about the presence of legacy foam in other military bases across the country.

As investigations continue and the cleanup efforts progress, stakeholders emphasize the importance of transparent communication, swift action, and accountability to protect public health and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.