“For two decades, state environmental officials have used a controversial pesticide to kill mosquitoes in Massachusetts, spraying millions of acres from the air and ground to reduce the spread of Eastern equine encephalitis. Now, after years of criticism from environmental advocates who have long raised health concerns about the expensive treatment known as Anvil 10+10, the pesticide has been found to also contain an array of toxic compounds known as PFAS. The so-called “forever chemicals,” which are found in a range of commercial products and never fully degrade, have been linked to cancer, low infant birth weights, and a range of diseases.
In a letter to DEP officials, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a Washington advocacy group, noted its own tests of Anvil found the pesticide contained 250 parts per trillion of one of the chemicals regulated by the state — more than 22 times the new limit for drinking water. They found other unregulated PFAS compounds in even greater amounts.”
