Waters of Anchorage’s Lake Hood and, beyond it, Lake Spenard are seen on Wednesday behind a parked seaplane. The connected lakes, located at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, comprise a busy seaplane center. A study by Alaska Community Action on Toxics published last year found that the two lakes had, by far, the highest levels of PFAS contamination of several Anchorage- and Fairbanks-area waterways the organization tested. Under a bill that became law this week, PFAS-containing firefighting foams that used to be common at airports will no longer be allowed in Alaska. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska firefighting departments will have to stop using fire-suppression foams containing contaminants known as “forever chemicals,” under a law that went into effect on Monday.
The new law is the product of a bill, Senate Bill 67 , that legislators passed nearly unanimously. It went into effect without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature.
The new law targets Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances , known as PFAS. They have qualities making them resistant to fire, water and oil. They are linked to numerous poor health effects , including developmental delays, compromised immune systems, reproductive problems and certain cancers according to the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .