This year saw advances in identifying and tackling the damage from forever chemicals in Maine, with policies and research aimed at making products, food and water safer.
From stricter limits on the manmade chemicals in drinking water to alternatives in fast food paper containers, Maine has tried to find ways to undo the damage caused by them, and policymakers and farmers are discovering ways to help contaminated farms stay in business.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are ubiquitous in consumer products from tampons to medicines and sofa fabric. The upside is that they make products waterproof, stain-resistant or non-stick. But they also contaminate the environment through runoff, landfills, fertilizer and pesticides, having already fouled dozens of farms in Maine . And they take a long time, if ever, to break down. Much remains to be known about the chemicals, which number in the thousands…