AUGUSTA –– State officials dispersing funds related to PFAS in Maine are now adding $650,000 to fund various mental health programs for farmers and residents impacted by the so-called “forever chemicals.”

The funding comes from the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination, according to Beth Valentine, the fund’s director.

The term “PFAS” refers to a class of chemicals that do not break down naturally in nature, hence the nickname “forever chemicals.” Years ago, such chemicals were commonly used, particularly in industrial fertilizer.

The chemicals have since been linked to a number of chronic illnesses in humans, including cancer. Their use is now banned, but starting around 2016, farmers and residents in Maine have been detecting PFAS in soil and water. 

Among other reactions to the discovery, Gov. Janet Mills established the PFAS fund in 2022.  

On Thursday, Valentine said, the fund’s advisory committee agreed to set aside the $650,000 “to provide a continuum of low-barrier resources, beginning with increasing awareness of and access to existing websites and help lines, progressing to peer support and periodic check-ins with community health workers, and including counseling with licensed clinicians when needed.”

The program will begin in several phases staring with Phase 1 this fall.