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.

Fire fighting foam pfos. 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. This guide covers what you need to do to organise the disposal of fire fighting foams containing pfos. These foams may be in storage in their original containers decanted into other containers or in fire fighting equipment including fire trucks. Firefighting foam is a foam used for fire suppression.

They are also present in fire fighting foams or aqueous film forming foam. Afff is often used in shipboard and shore facility fire suppression systems fire fighting vehicles and at fire training facilities. Firefighters sprayed foam on structures in the mammoth hot springs complex on 10 september 1988 during the yellowstone fires. 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. Eventually the department of defense used it at all aircraft hangars airfields and aircraft fueling stations among other locations. Pfos based foam was widely adopted. Aqueous film forming foam afff is a fire suppressant used to extinguish flammable liquid fires such as fuel fires.

Afff is usually created by combining foaming agents with fluorinated surfactants. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances pfas are the active ingredient in these fluorinated surfactants. 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. Pfos is banned completely in new zealand and another pfas chemical pfoa is not approved for use in fire fighting foams.