Firefighting Foam
From floating docks, limited access and unknowable fuel load, boat fires present unique challenges for responding firefighters
Brunswick Executive Airport’s spill of 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam concentrate is the sixth-largest in the country
Sea-Tac firefighters were often covered in the foams during training exercises and fires
If the bills are signed into law, firefighters would receive additional training for proper use and handling of firefighting foams with PFAS chemicals and decontamination procedures
Firefighters can be exposed to PFHxS and other PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam, exposure from contaminated PPE, managing PFAS foam wastes and contaminated fire stations
Ohio rep. introduces legislation that would require firefighters to stop training with foam believed to cause health problems
State Fire Administrator Jeff Morrissette said there is “no way of knowing” how much of the chemical foam is being used
PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in products worldwide since the 1950s, including firefighting foam
Now the Great Lakes Water Authority is looking at fire-fighting foam as the cause and it may be from a municipal source
One sample taken detected PFOS and PFOA levels at 1,190 parts per trillion, well above the federal EPA health advisory limit of 70 ppt
A plane crash into a residence required a combination of firefighting, hazmat and rescue to remove occupants from the home
Fire foam, advances in fire pump systems combat lightweight construction fire speed and contaminate hazards
The city is installing filters to treat the contamination; two public wells have been closed since 2015
State Senate Bill 6413 would limit the sale of firefighting foams with polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl chemicals, which have been found in drinking water
The study will look at how much of the chemicals residents absorbed, how quickly their bodies are shedding the contaminants and the current levels in the water
Contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances has been identified in 14 Michigan communities
Experts said more than 6 million people in the United States have been exposed to man-made fluorinated compounds “at concentrations of concern”
Officials said the river supplies drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people
Firefighters walked into a wall of foam higher than their heads; the incident briefly trapped four people inside
The city has flushed millions of gallons of water through the city’s pipes and water system hoping to remove the compounds
About 100 homes with private wells are at risk of contamination
NASA is supplementing the town’s supply of water while more testing is ongoing
Fast-hardening firefighting foam may offer better firefighting properties and less environmental impact
Officials said they expect the final validated results in a couple of weeks
The chemicals have been linked to health problems that include thyroid disorders and developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy
An official contended that the Air Force didn’t know its firefighting foam was harmful until this year
The evaporation apparently occurred from an open pit where the water is pumped for firefighting exercises
The Colorado Springs wastewater treatment system isn’t set up to remove PFCs, so they were still in the water when it was discharged into Fountain Creek
Perfluorinated compounds have been linked to prostate, kidney and testicular cancer
An investigation found that the Air Force ran a series of tests dating back to the 1970s that found the firefighting foam harmed laboratory animals
The tainted water passed through a wastewater treatment plant, but the plant isn’t set up to remove PFCs, so they were still in the water when it was discharged
With recent attention focused on firefighting foam contaminating groundwater, here’s a closer look at the foam, the risks and the preventions
The residents allege the companies should have known perfluorooctane sulfonate and other chemicals would pose health and environmental risks
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