Four Illinois Congress members have joined colleagues to ask congressional appropriators to set aside $70 million to prevent contamination by “forever chemicals.” [Health News Illinois]

The money would support a firefighting foam replacement program at airports.

Traditional firefighting foams, which the Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to use, contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are linked to potential adverse health effects. 

The program aims to help airports transition to newly approved fluorine-free foams. 

In May, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill authorizing $350 million over the next five years to help local airports transition to the new foams. 

A bipartisan coalition of 81 lawmakers that included Reps. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline; Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago; Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, wrote a letter last week to leaders of the House Committee on Appropriations, urging them to include money to fund the program in any year-end spending deal. 

“Helping airports transition to fluorine-free firefighting foam as quickly as possible would make significant strides towards our shared goals of environmental stewardship and public health protection,” they wrote. 

A Senate draft funding bill includes the money.

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