The Bangor Daily News and WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) reported that the University of Maine could receive $18 million in the next round of federal earmarks to establish a research center, a laboratory and research funding that center around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Much of the money would go toward equipment needed […]
Read more
Michael Haedicke, associate professor of sociology and faculty fellow at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, and Jean MacRae, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maine and a Mitchell Center faculty fellow, wrote an opinion piece for the Bangor Daily News about how Maine needs to do […]
Read more
Onur Apul, assistant professor of environmental engineering at the University of Maine, was interviewed by the Bangor Daily News in an article about PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” that were discovered in the public drinking water systems of Skowhegan, Oakland and Fryeburg serving more than 4,500 households and businesses. Apul said that While people will undoubtedly […]
Read more
In an article about the toxic legacy of “forever chemicals” on Maine’s farms, Down East Magazine cited a nascent collaboration among several state agencies and the University of Maine examining the possibilities for phytoremediation, or using plants to pull PFAS out of the soil.
Read more
Takeout food is more popular than ever, but waste created by single-use plastic containers is environmentally harmful. University of Maine engineers have created a grease-proof, water-resistant container from recyclable cellulose nanocomposites that could be the next big thing in takeout technology. The demand for takeout, fast food and ready-made food has created an enormous plastic […]
Read more
News Center Maine reported on research conducted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and Maine Farmland Trust in collaboration with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Department of Environmental Protection about crops that may be able to absorb PFAS from the soil. Plants like hemp have been shown to suck the chemicals […]
Read more
The Sun Journal reported on a University of Maine research study that shows animals and plants get rid of PFAS at different rates. The research showed that, once ingested, PFAS cycles out of dairy cows faster than humans, and even quicker in chickens. Corn and oats planted in contaminated soil will take up very little […]
Read more
Leslie Forstadt, human development specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and Caroline Noblet, associate professor of economics at the University of Maine and a team member of the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions PFAS Research Initiative, were interviewed for the Bangor Daily News about the anxiety surrounding Maine’s PFAS crisis. […]
Read more
Jean MacRae, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Maine, was interviewed by the Maine Monitor in an article about the importance of quality compost for Maine’s soil health, especially in light of the PFAS crisis. MacRae said that given the difficulty determining which paper and cardboard materials contain PFAS, it’s best to […]
Read more
The Bangor Daily News interviewed Diane Kopec, faculty fellow at the George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, about the difference between mercury contamination and PFAS contamination in Maine’s fish. Kopec told the BDN that while mercury tends to collect in fish muscle, PFAS contamination appears to be more widespread throughout the fish, which could […]
Read more