Maine faces widespread contamination due to PFAS, synthetic chemicals in ubiquitous consumer and manufacturing use that are now polluting wells, public water supplies, farmland and food chains. This series explores the pathways by which PFAS cycle through Maine’s environment and the far-reaching repercussions these enduring chemicals will have.
This project was produced with support from the Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship, awarded by the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.
The Price of PFAS
Maine’s strong policy response could mitigate future expenses, but short-term expenditures are proliferating and many costs remain untallied. Widespread contamination […]
The Long Road to Recovering PFAS Damages
With Maine facing escalating costs from contamination due to ‘forever chemicals,’ work is under way to recoup some losses. Shortly […]
Forever Exposure, Forever Anxiety
Found in water, air, soil, food, consumer products and work settings, ‘forever chemicals’ pose risks to both physical health and […]
Reducing Your PFAS Body Burden
Limiting new sources of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can gradually lower your accumulated chemical load, aptly known […]
Maine’s Law to Reduce PFAS in Products Is off to a Slow Start
Sixteen months after Maine enacted a first-in-the-nation law aimed at eliminating use of most per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by […]
A Spreading Problem
How PFAS got into soils and food systems Risks from ‘forever chemicals’ have ended a half-century of spreading sludge onto […]