Testimony in support of An Act Concerning the Use of PFAs in Class B Firefighting Foam

Testimony of the Connecticut Audubon Society to the Environment Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly in support of Raised S.B. No. 837 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF PERFLUOROALKYL OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES IN CLASS B FIREFIGHTING FOAM.

February 10, 2021

The Connecticut Audubon Society thanks the Committee and the sponsors of Raised S.B. No. 837 An Act Concerning the Use of Perfluoroalkyl or Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Class B Firefighting Foam for their foresight in proposing this legislation which we strongly support. There are several measures aimed at reducing or ending the use of PFAS chemicals in firefighting foams. In June 2019 we experienced a spill of PFAS containing foam that eventually led to approximately 50,000 gallons of foam reaching the Farmington River, a major tributary of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound.

PFAS chemicals are what are known as persistent pollutants, similar to persistent organochloride compounds such as DDT, DDE and PCBs. Such chemicals not only persist in living tissues, but also tend to accumulate up the food chain. A simple way to look at the bio-accumulative effect of such chemicals, if 10 fish each had 1 milligram of such a pollutant, an eagle or osprey that ate those fish would have 10 milligrams accumulating in its fatty tissues. Since those chemicals will never leave the body, if it were to eat 90 more fish over the course of a month, it would end up with 100 Mg in its system. Persistent organo-fluoride chemicals such as PFAS compounds are likely at least as dangerous as the persistent organochloride compounds we have had such trouble with in the past and many studies have shown toxic and mutagenic/carcinogenic effects from exposure to PFAS chemicals. Since wildlife are subject to the same risks from these compounds, this is not only a problem for human health, but also for the entire ecosystem.

The Connecticut Audubon Society strongly supports any effort to reduce or remove the risk of PFAS spills into our important aquatic habitats.

Thank you for the opportunity to lend our support to this important proposal. Thank you very much for your consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

Patrick M. Comins, Executive Director