A couple inches of snow fell in Rumford Monday night and Tuesday morning, but in parts of the community, people noticed brown or tan snow falling from the sky. The town said Tuesday there was a malfunction at the paper mill that caused a release of spent black liquor,

Residents of a Maine town are being asked to avoid touching or ingesting the “brown” show that fell in the area.

Residents of Rumford, Maine, were startled Tuesday when brown snow blanketed the town, caused by a malfunction at the ND Paper Mill. The mill accidentally released black liquor, a byproduct of paper production, into the air, discoloring the snowfall and raising health concerns.