Washington Post talks with UMaine faculty, grad student about ‘forever chemicals’ on Everest

Paul Mayewski, Kimberley Miner and Mariusz Potocki were interviewed by The Washington Post about finding per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” near the summit of Everest. Mayewski is the director of the Climate Change Institute (CCI) at the University of Maine, Miner is an assistant research professor with CCI, and Potocki is a Ph.D. student. Their study, conducted as part of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, was published in December 2020. The Portland Press Herald shared the Washington Post story. The Bangor Daily News also covered the discovery.