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October 6, 2025

Electrical fault blamed for last year's PFAS spill at Brunswick Landing

Courtesy / Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Brunswick Executive Airport was the site of a PFAS spill in August 2024.
By Tina Fischer

An analysis of an accidental PFAS spill in August 2024 at Brunswick Landing finds the cause was not a fire as was first suspected, but a malfunction of an electric monitoring device.

In a report commissioned by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which manages Brunswick Landing, Kansas-based Poole Fire Protection found that “for unknown reasons” a monitoring module set off an alarm in an airport hangar that caused the fire suppression system to discharge PFAS-containing foam. 

“Precisely how that piece of equipment, which includes a circuit board with extensive circuitry, failed is something that extends beyond the scope of this report, and would require forensic testing,” the report concluded. 

The spill released 1,450 gallons of PFAS concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water, which reached several local waterways, including the Androscoggin River, Harpswell Cove, Merriconeag Stream and Mare Brook.

PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" due to their resistance to breakdown. Exposure to the substances has been linked to numerous adverse health effects. 

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Midcoast Regional Development Authority agreed on a plan to address the spill, and all PFAS-containing foam from the facility's fire suppression system was removed. 

The authority is required to submit a detailed scope of work to the Environmental Protection Agency for review and approval by Dec. 31, outlining the plan to clean or replace fire suppression systems in the affected airport hangars and ensure the permanent removal of PFAS-containing materials.

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