“Massachusetts has launched an initiative aiming to help fire rescue departments dispose of legacy firefighting foams containing perfluorinated compounds.
The aim of the take-back programme is to remove the risk of the foams impacting water supplies.
According to the state’s environmental protection department (MassDEP), pre-2003 versions of the foam use perfluorinated compounds, PFOA and PFOS…
‘These compounds have contaminated some groundwater and drinking water sources across the country,’ a MassDEP statement says.
The take-back programme, it adds, will ensure that these foams are ‘removed from current stockpiles and neutralised’.
MassDEP, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, is asking all fire departments to conduct an inventory of their stockpiles and notify the agencies by Friday 15 June if they have any of the legacy foam.
The departments will then assign a state-sponsored contractor to handle the disposal…
In April, Washington became the first US state to ban firefighting foams containing all perfluorinated compounds. Last month 40 NGOs urged states to take the lead on eliminating the use of PFASs, and asked the EPA to give them the resources to support this.”
Read the full article by Leigh Stringer