Firefighting Foam
We have a duty to lead the charge in their eradication from the environment, from our bodies, from our consumer products, from our water - Judy Seeberger
image by: Maria Baranova on Unsplash
HWN Suggests
Firefighting Chemicals Are Dangerous for the Environment. Can That Change?
In the early 2000s, chemical companies started phasing out early PFAS called PFOS and PFOA, replacing them with ostensibly less-bad alternatives. Newer “short-chain” PFAS are different than their predecessors on a molecular level, so existing research about risks did not as clearly apply. Many municipalities did what seemed like the right thing: They switched to firefighting foams made with the newer PFAS.
Now, it appears many of the newer PFAS are still plenty bad for us. Many fire departments will have to replace AFFFs again, this time with non-PFAS foams. In the meantime, we’ve spent two decades using replacement chemicals in all sorts of products that are still toxic and that…
Featured
State prepares for near-total ban on 'forever chemicals'
Minnesota is on the verge of banning non-essential uses of “forever chemicals.” And lawmakers say they are naming the legislation after a woman who spent the last months of her life campaigning for restrictions that will be some of the toughest in the country. Legislators, environmentalists and family members paid tribute Tuesday to Amara Strande. She died two days shy of her 21st birthday last month from a rare form of liver cancer. She grew up in a St. Paul suburb where groundwater is contaminated by PFAS and believed the chemicals were part of what caused her cancer, which was diagnosed when she was 15.
‘Forever chemicals’: What firefighters need to know about AFFF and PFAS
How firefighting foam impacts firefighters and the environment – and what’s being done to address the health concerns.
Articles of Interest
Firefighting Foam & PFAS: What You Need to Know
Unfortunately, the most effective of these firefighting foams, aqueous film forming foam or AFFF contains PFAS, which the EPA has stated to be dangerous. The concern surrounding PFAS and its use in AFFF is real, and it is actively changing the fire protection agency.
Government Studying Widely Used Chemicals Linked to Health Issues
The class of chemicals, known as PFAS, was used in nonstick pans, stain-resistant clothes and firefighting foam and is found in drinking water in some places.
How safe is firefighting foam?
With recent attention focused on firefighting foam contaminating groundwater, here's a closer look at the foam, the risks and the preventions.
PFAS-Containing Firefighting Foams
Thankfully, other countries have recognized the danger posed by continued use of AFFF and have moved toward fluorine free alternatives that provide effective firefighting properties and protections to firefighters themselves. Unlike the United States’ outdated model of specifying a type of foam, these alternatives have been assessed by the European oil industry and others as acceptable for use; in countries that use them, foams are evaluated on the basis of their performance.
The chemicals in firefighting foam aren’t the new asbestos
PFAAs are persistent organic pollutants which are not readily broken down and can accumulate in the environment including in food, although most people are exposed to PFAAs from drinking water. Once in the body, these compounds persist for a long time. For instance, it takes around five years for half of an ingested dose of PFOA to be removed. So, these compounds have the potential to reach levels which can affect our health.
The Hidden Dangers in Firefighting Foam
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of man-made chemical compounds found in a wide range of consumer products such as nonstick products, polishes, waxes, paints and cleaning products. Two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctane acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), may be present in firefighting aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) solutions.
The Military's Toxic Firefighting Foam Disaster
While several other countries have taken a precautionary approach and are using products without PFAS to put out jet fuel fires, the U.S. recently decided to continue investing in this line of persistent contaminants.
The slow path to eliminating PFAS in firefighting foam
To accelerate a transition to PFAS-free formulations of the firefighting foam known as AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam, or “A-triple-F”), Congress set an October 2024 deadline in the 2020 National Defense Reauthorization Act for the Department of Defense to select firefighting foam options that do not contain PFAS. That act also required a moratorium on the DOD’s incineration of old AFFF, effective last spring, due to concerns that PFAS don’t fully degrade in that process, and can contaminate air and communities near incinerator sites.
Resources
Fire Fighting Foam Coalition
A coalition of industry leaders formed to represent manufacturers, distributors, and users on issues related to the efficacy and environmental impact of fire fighting foams.
