The Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation1 revealed many military installations still stock—and deploy—aqueous foam for combatting fuel fires, despite numerous case studies advising against its use. AFFF works primarily by creating a barrier between the flammable liquid and the oxygen…
Steven started at the firehouse at 18 and has embraced the culture wholeheartedly, even after AFFF toxins and contaminated firefighter gear nearly took his life. The diagnosis was thyroid cancer, a disease linked to the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)…
A new study on PFAS, the toxic compound in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), confirmed that dermal absorption is a viable and likely exposure pathway for firefighters. The active ingredients in foam suppressants are PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Fluorine and…
Forever chemicals profoundly affected firefighting, and decades later these compounds continue to influence the industry, only this time for the better. When manufacturers added hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to fire suppressants and clothing, they introduced toxins into this…
The symptoms from Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) exposure are debilitating, but the impact of using these suppressants stretches beyond physical ailments. The timeline of AFFF use began with military firefighters in the 1960s, and soon enough civilian departments and airports…
Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) manufacturers fooled fire departments for years with marketing tactics that emphasized the foam’s benefits instead of its hazardous active ingredients. The glossy pages of fire industry magazines featured fire foam on every other page, applauding its…
Waving goodbye to aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) firefighting techniques and welcoming alternative methods that use safer concentrates is a long-overdue change. Though this isn’t the first update for firefighting tactics, this is one of the most significant efforts toward improving…
Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for AFFF have misled firefighters from the start, revealing warnings for eye and skin irritation, but not for serious health risks. An SDS, formerly MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), serves one purpose: to provide information about…
Even as the hazards of PFAS (the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in AFFF) became hot topics at manufacturing headquarters, the public was not warned of the hazards associated with PFAS exposure. Firefighters who reflect on the early days of AFFF…
Fire foam acronyms hold a lot more meaning than what’s offered at face value, especially to firefighters and their families suffering the effects of exposure. Countless service members and firefighters spent their careers reciting acronyms for aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF)…