Chemicals on Chemicals 

Vicki Quint

According to the Spring 2021 issue of Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation: “Although Australia and European countries have used F3 alternatives for nearly a decade in certain sectors, adoption in the United States has been slowed by industry’s reliance on NFPA Standard 11 and UL 162, which address AFFF use for Class B fires…” 

Some major incident calls are revealing fire chiefs’ reluctance to use airports or other fire departments for mutual aid since their apparatus may still contain AFFF which contain PFAS chemicals. PFAS are persistent, bioaccumulating and biomagnifying chemicals.  

In June 2021, a chemical facility in Rockton, Illinois caught fire. Grease, lubricating oil and fluids all were involved at the Chemtool plant. The local fire chief, Chief Kirk Wilson had quickly declined nearby airport assistance because he knew their firefighting foams contained PFAS chemicals which would contaminate his community. 

A private firefighting crew hired by the company came in. Unknown to Illinois EPA and the fire chief, the crew began using 3,200 gallons of PFAS-containing firefighting foam. The foam, Signature Series 1X3% C6AR-AFFF, was confirmed as a fluorinated surfactant and may have contained Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as an unintended by-product. The foam is known to break down into Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and potentially others. 

The fire chief had not been informed that the foam contained PFAS and he ordered those operations be stopped. The company began steps recommended by USEPA and Illinois EPA to contain run-off as much as possible. The foam had been used for about three hours and run-off did occur to the Rock River which feeds into the Mississippi River. 

The private company then switched to another foam without PFAS when it became available. The Rockton fire chief made the correct decision for his community in declining AFFF use. 

Dr. Linda Birnbaum, former National Institute for Environmental Health (NIEHS) director and toxicologist stated it was amazing that the company would use PFAS-containing foam when alternatives were available. 

Restrictions have been missing from PFAS for decades. But regulations are now catching up. 

The firefighting foams containing C6, a 7 or less chain PFAS, contain 2 to 3 times more PFAS than the older AFFF products. The replacement foam products have been found to be as toxic as the original products. 

The water contamination problems that occur with PFAS use are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to completely remediate. The shorter-chain PFAS are more difficult to filter from water and more mobile. Costs can be astronomical.  

Fire chiefs have not previously had full information on firefighting foams that they require as incident commanders. They are the front-line risk managers. 

States are dealing with PFAS chemicals more quickly than the federal government. Some fire departments have recently found themselves facing state fines for using AFFF.  

Some state-level environmental offices are listing foams on firefighting foam contract lists that are fluorine-free but may still contain carcinogens. There are fire tested F3 products available that do not contain carcinogens. 

What occurred in Rockton, Illinois was a fire chief who was well aware of the toxicity issues with AFFF foams. He made the right decision to decline AFFF because he knew the wrong decision would contaminate his own community. 

Health care costs will be a component of PFAS regulations. According to a study by NYU Langone Health researchers in 2022: 

“Daily exposure to a class of chemicals used in the production of many household items may lead to cancer, thyroid disease, and childhood obesity, a new study shows. The resulting economic burden is estimated to cost Americans a minimum of $5.5 billion and as much as $63 billion annually.”  

AFFF has been used extensively during the past 60 years. The PFAS in AFFF can contaminate ground water which impacts drinking water. Unlike other chemicals, PFAS cannot be diluted with water. They are extremely persistent. The chemicals will form long-ranging plumes in water or underground. They are exceptionally difficult to break down because of the carbon-fluorine (C-F) bond. 

Northwestern Now reports: “Fire can’t incinerate them, and water can’t dilute them.” 

Vanguard reported that:  

“Unfortunately, EPA has stated that PFAS is dangerous. They do not dilute, degrade, or disappear, and they pose significant human health risk as they travel through our groundwater and soil. According to the EPA, PFAS has been linked to adverse human health effects including cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease and imbalance, immune disorders, cardiovascular concerns, and more. Because PFAS is negatively persistent, it can move through drinking water, oil, and even concrete, and has contaminated drinking water in cities across the United States.” 

HazMat will find AFFF in airports, trailer programs, county caches and fire departments. Fire training facilities have been discovered to be PFAS-contaminated throughout the US. Chemical manufacturers, petrochemical and oil refineries can be other sources of AFFF. 

States have begun setting up storage or “take back” programs. AFFF product to be removed is being labeled with a Hazard Class 9 Department of Transportation (DOT) identification placard. 

Another issue is older AFFF product in inventories. In 2019, the Foam Exposure Committee foam sample testing project came across a product manufactured in 1978 that was still in an active fire department inventory. 

All fire equipment including apparatus used with AFFF is a concern. 

No AFFF or AR-AFFF product should be poured out onto the ground, sewer drains or water resources. Once PFAS are in water or soil, they become “a persistent problem for generations.”  PFAS should not be put into landfills which include burn pits and Superfund sites. 

According to Jensen Hughes, Inc., fluorine-free foams are “consistent over a range of concentration levels, showed no difference at all from AFFF, and were still adequate across the board.” Fire departments are transitioning to F3 foam products. There are no regulations requiring a fire department to use AFFF. 

PFAS chemicals represent a health risk to firefighters and the public they serve. State departments of natural resources, departments of environmental protection or state pollution agencies can direct you. 

“Consider the firefighter and public safety first.” 

References: 

NYU Langone, Daily Exposure to ‘Forever Chemicals’ Costs United States Billions in Health Costs, July 22, 2022, https://nyulangone.org/news/daily-exposure-forever-chemicals-costs-united-states-billions-health-costs 

ITRC, Firefighting Foams, The PFAS Team, Training Module, https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/3-firefighting-foams/ 

Northwestern Now, ‘Forever chemicals’ destroyed by simple new method, August 18, 2022,  Amanda Morris, https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2022/08/forever-chemicals-destroyed-by-simple-new-method/