State officials have detected toxic firefighting foam from a Marinette manufacturer in the basement of a nearby home — a finding that prompted the Department of Natural Resources on Monday to warn other residents to be on the lookout for similar signs of contamination.
The potentially harmful foam containing perfluorinated chemicals had seeped into the basement earlier this year through cracks in the floor and walls, likely as a result of water saturating the ground due to wet weather conditions, the DNR said.
Test results show some readings of two of the chemicals found at the Town of Peshtigo home far exceed a lifetime exposure standard that the Evers administration is in the early stages of promulgating.
The chemicals had earlier been found in the family's private well and in a pond next to the home.
The finding is the latest known pathway the chemicals have turned up in this northeastern Wisconsin community, where past tests have revealed contamination at high levels in private wells, groundwater, wastewater and local streams.