Well-water testing available in Trenton
TRENTON
Trenton residents may have access to free well-water testing thanks to a grant from Defend Our Health.
The grassroots organization based in Portland works to “create a world where all people are thriving with equal access to safe food and drinking water, healthy homes and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly,” according to its website.
The grant comes after well-water testing done at the Trenton Elementary School in 2017 found levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which belong to a group of man-made chemicals commonly called PFAS.
Deemed “forever chemicals,” the compounds do not break down easily and are found in nearly everything, from nonstick cookware to firefighting foam. The chemicals have been linked to several health issues, including cancer.
Public health group, Maine lawmakers call for sweeping response to ‘forever chemicals’
Defend Our Health, a Portland-based nonprofit group, has worked with two state representatives to introduce seven bills aimed at cleaning up and regulating forever chemicals in food, farmland, drinking water and household products.
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A Portland-based nonprofit group has joined forces with state representatives, health care professionals and residents to push several bills through the Maine Legislature that would deal directly with the cleanup and regulation of “forever chemicals” in food, farmland, drinking water and household products.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Patrick MacRoy, deputy director of Defend Our Health, reiterated the organization’s mission and discussed how the group has called upon the state to change its guidelines on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFOA and PFOS since 2019.
Public health group, Maine lawmakers call for sweeping response to ‘forever chemicals’
Defend Our Health, a Portland-based nonprofit group, has worked with two state representatives to introduce seven bills aimed at cleaning up and regulating forever chemicals in food, farmland, drinking water and household products.
Share
A Portland-based nonprofit group has joined forces with state representatives, health care professionals and residents to push several bills through the Maine Legislature that would deal directly with the cleanup and regulation of “forever chemicals” in food, farmland, drinking water and household products.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Patrick MacRoy, deputy director of Defend Our Health, reiterated the organization’s mission and discussed how the group has called upon the state to change its guidelines on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFOA and PFOS since 2019.
Patrick MacRoy, deputy director for Defend Our Health, joins other health advocates in calling upon the state to implement stricter and more thorough guidelines when it comes to testing water, food products and sludge for forever chemicals.
Parents and environmental advocates say the guidance falls short of needed mandatory regulations. Author: Vivien Leigh (NEWS CENTER Maine) Published: 3:43 PM CST December 8, 2020 Updated: 3:43 PM CST December 8, 2020
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Last month, federal regulators took a first step toward stemming the flow of so called forever chemicals .
The EPA will require facilities in a handful of states not including Maine to monitor wastewater for PFAS.
But parents and activists say the long-awaited policy falls short of needed mandatory regulations.
After Andrea Amico s family drank water laced with PFAS chemicals at the Pease Trade Port, she fought for a federal health study. Two of her children, including her daughter Sophia, now nine-years-old, were exposed at daycare.