To the Editor:

Senator Seeberger is taking her real life experience as a first responder and using it to advocate for her district with SF 776, which would end the use of PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam.

PFAS chemicals, created in the 1940s to add water proof, nonstick, and stain resistance qualities to everyday items, have been linked to illnesses including cancer, infertility, and liver damage. PFAS has been found in mother’s cord blood, 100% of the breast milk samples tested, whale blubber, sludge farmers use on crops, and even in orange juice.

In 2019, a law was passed banning the use of PFAS in foam for training and testing purposes.

PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down over time. These chemicals enter water and our bodies through leaching into groundwater via landfills, manufacturer disposal methods, and by direct contact with products.

By banning PFAS in firefighting foam, we are saving time, taxpayer dollars, and lives. PFAS is an old technology we no longer need. When PFAS foam is discharged, it enters groundwater as it leaches into the ground, and in some cases it flows directly into water sources. From there, it enters our drinking water, taints fish, and enters sludge that is then used on crops.

PFAS is costing Minnesota millions of dollars. We are paying to clean up PFAS, but at the same time we are dumping more into the state. We keep chasing our tail -paying to clean up a mess we keep making.

Avonna Starck Fridley