WINDSOR – Senator Richard Blumenthal is calling on the FAA to take action against dangerous chemicals used in firefighting foam.
This as concerns about PFAS chemicals in the Farmington River linger after two different spills of firefighting foam. The most recent following the b-17 crash at Bradley International Airport. The rainbow creek runs from Bradley into the Farmington River. Earlier this month we found out fish from the river tested positive for these potentially life threatening chemicals.
Now Senator Blumenthal is calling on the FAA to ban these potentially hazardous chemicals.
“The FAA is failing in its job to protect the public. I’m going to double down in this fight against the FAA’s head in the sand attitude towards his contaminant,” said Sen. Blumenthal.
The FAA currently requires firefighting foam contain PFAS. Senator Blumenthal said he wrote a letter to the FAA, and they responded by telling him the foam without PFAS is not as effective. Blumenthal argues, there are other large airports, not in the us that use non PFAS firefighting foam.
PFAS concerns stretch beyond the Connecticut River, these chemicals have shown up in multiple sewage treatment plants throughout Connecticut.
“There was a great study done by UCONN staff prior to the spill and they looked at 12 different sewage treatment plants and there’s a whole different range of PFAS compounds coming out of those. Typically, we’ve been worried about raw sewage going into long island sound, now we have all these other things in the waste water we have to worry about,” said Bill Lucey, long island sound keeper.
Residents in Windsor concerned the effects will linger.
“there are economic concerns because a lot of people come to our town, come to the Shad Derby. People have fishing contests, beyond that it’s a tradition. It’s part of the personality of this town,” saidBeth Caruuso, a Windsor resident.
The Shad Derby happens every year in May.
