The Loring Airforce Base (AFB) in Aroostook County, Maine, USA was active from 1947 through 1994. Like many military sites, it has a substantial history of pollution from a wide variety of toxins. Currently, some of the AFB land belongs to the Micmac Nation, an Indigenous tribe, who are very concerned about the contamination on the land. Starting in 2019, a group of community activists, research scientists, and tribal members came together to test methods for cleaning the land. This backstory features perspectives from six project participants. BEGINNINGSWhat are the goals of this project? How did you decide what to investigate?Dr. Sara L. Nason (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station): The overall goal of our work is to improve the quality of the land on the former Loring AFB, which now belongs to the Aroostook band of the Micmac Nation. Specifically, we are testing the use of fiber hemp plants for phytoremediation of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are a class of emerging contaminants that are highly toxic at low concentrations and are frequently found on former military bases owing to their use in firefighting foams (Hagstrom et al., 2021). They are often called ''forever chemicals,'' as they are highly resistant to degradation. Part of the land acquired by the Micmac people was formerly used as a firefighting testing area. The US Airforce has detected concerning levels of PFAS in groundwater at this site, but did not conduct any remediation (Baker, 2018). There are limited technologies available for removing PFAS Currently, some of the Loring Airforce Base (AFB) land belongs to the Micmac Nation, an Indigenous tribe, who are very concerned about the contamination on the land. Starting in 2019, a group of community activists, research scientists, and tribal members came together to test methods for cleaning the land. This backstory features perspectives from six project participants.
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