April 10, 2021 11:44:41 am
The State of Alaska sued over thirty chemical compound manufacturers Wednesday after it was discovered that the state’s groundwater was being contaminated by toxic chemicals.
The 38-page complaint alleges that the defendant companies knowingly produced highly toxic chemicals known as PFAS (which include PFOS and PFOA) and released the compounds into the environment through their products. These chemicals are manmade substances which spread quickly throughout ecosystems, are toxic at very low levels, and can take a long period of time to break down. Communities located near military bases and industrial sites bear significantly higher environmental and health risks as a result of these chemicals because the toxic substances are widely used in industrial fire extinguishers commonly found near to airports and other industrial sites.
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Contractors plan to break ground on a multimillion dollar airport project in Gustavus this month. But newly discovered toxic chemicals at the site make the state-run project more complicated, and some residents don’t think the environmental oversight goes far enough to keep them safe.
The upgrade at Gustavus’ state-run airport is a decade in the making, but in 2018 contaminants were discovered at the airport and in water, soil and wells around the Southeast community.
The contaminants are called PFAS, a group of toxic chemicals found in firefighting foam that used to be required at airports and defense sites. They’re known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down. There’s evidence they’re linked to cancer, thyroid problems and other ill health effects.