Fire Fighting Foam Pfos

They are also present in fire fighting foams or aqueous film forming foam.

Fire fighting foam pfos. You may have heard that we are investigating whether fire fighting foams held or in use at airports and other locations contain the pfas chemical pfos. Firefighters sprayed foam on structures in the mammoth hot springs complex on 10 september 1988 during the yellowstone fires. Pfas free firefighting foams are safer and effective for military use these next few weeks are crunch time in congress for negotiations on the national defense authorization act ndaa. They are persistent i e they do not break down in the environment and since they are used in the manufacturing of so many products they are widespread internationally.

These foams may be in storage in their original containers decanted into other containers or in fire fighting equipment including fire trucks. Afff used by both civilian and military firefighters. Eventually the department of defense used it at all aircraft hangars airfields and aircraft fueling stations among other locations. This guide covers what you need to do to organise the disposal of fire fighting foams containing pfos.

Pfos is banned completely in new zealand and another pfas chemical pfoa is not approved for use in fire fighting foams. Pfos based foam was widely adopted. Aqueous film forming foam afff or alcohol resistant ar afff is a highly effective foam used for fighting high hazard flammable liquid fires. Its role is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel preventing its contact with oxygen resulting in suppression of the combustion.

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances pfas are the active ingredient in these fluorinated surfactants. Commercial household products including stain and water repellent fabrics nonstick products e g teflon polishes waxes paints cleaning products and fire fighting foams a major source of groundwater contamination at airports and military bases where firefighting training occurs. Two pfas compounds perfluorooctane acid pfoa and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid pfos may be present in firefighting aqueous film forming foam afff solutions. Afff is usually created by combining foaming agents with fluorinated surfactants.