Water Is Life

Marguerite Adelman and Pat Elder taking a water sample at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site, Jericho, VT. Photo by Bob Adelman

By Barbara West
WILPF Maine and Pat Elder, Military Poison Project

WILPF US Documents Military Poisons in Maine’s Waters

Testing in the Androscoggin River

Thanks to the generous financial support of WILPF US and the efforts of WILPF members Barbara West and Martha Spiess, we were able to document high levels of carcinogenic PFAS in the waters of the Androscoggin River in Brunswick, Maine. PFAS are otherwise known as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, and they have been used in firefighting foams on military installations since the 1970s. The Military Poisons project of the WILPF US Earth Democracy Committee teamed up with Friends of Merrymeeting Bay to test the surface waters running off of military bases.
This is an example of all of us being citizen scientists. The WILPF members who participated in this Earth Democracy project are regular activists, just like all WILPF members.

PFAS Contamination: water, deer, eggs, and milk:

The team documented high levels of the toxins, highlighting the dangers of consuming fish from the contaminated waters. One test of a stream flowing out of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station into the Androscoggin River showed 1,662 parts per trillion of PFAS, a staggering amount for surface water.

Yet, still to this day, the Department for Environmental Protection does not have PFAS guidelines for surface water, even though press coverage reported that the chemicals impact human fertility, cholesterol, immune system, and hormone levels. Alarmingly, a Maine environmental official said the WILPF results were similar to a Navy test of the same stream in 2018.

It is also distressing to know that deer in some parts of Maine are so heavily contaminated that the state has advised the hunters not to eat the meat. And, alarmingly, eggs and milk have also been found in the state with toxic levels of PFAS.

“We think this is an excellent project for WILPF members,” said Barbara West (in green sweater). Martha Spiess agreed, saying, “It’s really not too involved. You submerge the cup into the water and let it drain through the filter, and then you mail it to the lab.”

Left: WILPF members Martha Spiess and Barbara West collect a water sample in Maine to document PFAS concentrations from military activities.

For more information or contributions to this ongoing testing program, contact Nancy Price with the WILPF US Earth Democracy Committee at nancytprice39@gmail.com.

The Vermont PFAS/Military Poisons Coalition
A comprehensive state-wide project of WILPF Burlington and Earth Democracy

By Marguerite Adelman

Marguerite Tabling at Burlington, VT Art Hop. Photo by Bob Adelman

Our 2022 Action Agenda

The Vermont PFAS/Military Poisons Coalition, a project of WILPF Burlington and WILPF US Earth Democracy, is starting work on its 2022 action agenda. 

Since its inception more than a year ago, the coalition has been working to educate the public about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) more commonly known as “forever chemicals,” and to mobilize grassroots, intersectional advocacy to demand public and environmental health action on PFAS chemicals.

We starated the year by sending a petition and email to every legislator in Vermont's Senate and House. The petition, currently signed by 199 Vermonters, demands more aggressive PFAS legislation in Vermont and recommends (10) pieces of must-pass PFAS legislation. 

First, legislation to ban the entire class of PFAS chemicals (a number of toxic compounds approaching five thousand) in Vermont, including the manufacture and inclusion of PFAS in all consumer and industrial products sold in or otherwise imported into Vermont, including AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam). 

Second, to prohibit landfills, refineries, and other industries from dumping any and all forms of treated or untreated industrial leachate into municipally-owned sewers and wastewater treatment plants and/or public waterways, and

Third, to prohibit municipalities and private waste processors from dumping sewage sludge and septage on federal, public, and private land in Vermont or neighboring states.

The result: A number of Vermont Senators and Legislators have contacted us and expressed interest in drafting and pushing additional PFAS legislation. Other proposed legislation concerns remediation and cleanup of PFAS, litigation, testing, and more. We hope to start meeting with legislators in late January.

Our coalition has also conducted citizen science, using affordable PFAS water testing kits from Cyclopure. With a grant from WILPF US to Pat Elder’s Military Poisons Project, we were able to test two military locations in Vermont and one military Superfund Site in New York that flows into our common body of water: Lake Champlain. As reported by Seven Days and Vermont Digger, we have found concerning levels of PFAS near both military installations.

Like Governor Whitmer of Michigan (October 27, 2021), our coalition also calls upon Governor Phil Scott to issue and sign an Executive Directive limiting state purchases of products containing PFAS. Governor Scott can easily take this action on behalf of our environment without going through the legislature. In fact, any Governor can do this.  We've been getting our Commentary and Editorial on this issue printed across the state.

You Can Pressure Your Own Governor: You can use our Op-Ed and/or Commentary and pressure your governor to do the same. Governors can act much more quickly than state legislators can, and using the pressure of a state’s purchasing power can get manufacturers to take action sooner.

Be Your Own Media: Given the lack of investigative journalists and the difficulty of getting media coverage in our small state for PFAS, we use social media, Op-Eds, and Editorials to educate the public and stir them to action. Coalition members have committed to writing various topical PFAS editorials and commentaries between January and May of 2022. We are doing research on the topics we want to highlight and the legislation we want to see passed. 

Probably in June of 2022, we are planning a Summit on Water.  Part of our goal is to bring all groups that are working on water issues together at this summit to report on what they are doing.  We’ll also invite the public and legislators.  We want this summit to look at the big picture on water and to see ways we can gain traction by working together.

In the meantime, we will continue to distribute our PFAS educational materials to libraries, city halls, and other groups around the state. 

Be the media and organize in your community. If you’d like to know more especially about how to organize in your community on PFAS, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have sample letters to the editor, op eds, and our PFAS petition. We are happy to share our work with WILPF members across the country. Contact me, Marguerite Adelman, WILPF Burlington, at madel51353@gmail.com and go to Military Poisons to read Pat Elder’s articles and click on states and go to Vermont.