Brown snow falls over Maine town; officials warn against touching, eating it

RUMFORD, Maine (WJW) – Residents in the Maine town of Rumsford are being asked to avoid touching or ingesting any "brown" snow that fell over the area this week.

The town was treated to the not-so-white snowfall on Tuesday. Local officials have since determined the cause to be a malfunction at a paper mill, explaining that the mill had released a paper-making byproduct called "black liquor" into the area, resulting in "precipitation of brown or tan colored snow," according to a Facebook post from the Town of Rumsford.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection visited the town to investigate this week, officials said. The snow was determined to have a slightly higher-than-neutral pH level.

“In order to help alleviate public concerns the Mill has agreed to pay for third-party testing which will be done independently with snow samples that will be sent to a lab with a protected chain of custody,” the Facebook post said. “Based on guidance from DEP we are confident that the public safety concerns are minimal at this time.”

Out of an abundance of caution, town officials advised residents — as well as their pets or children — to avoid coming into contact or ingesting the snow. It is non-toxic, officials claimed, but still may irritate skin.

"We are hopeful the rain tomorrow will wash most of the substance away and flush it off the ground and people's homes or property," town officials said Tuesday.