Read the full article by Mark Strassmann (CBS)
“Burlington County, New Jersey — Hundreds of New Jersey fire departments are getting rid of foam proven to put out flames. Why?
‘It was like sitting on a bomb,’ Jacobstown Volunteer Fire Chief Robert Gancarz told CBS News. ‘How am I going to get rid of this?’
Jacobstown’s fire station had used a firefighting foam called aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, since the mid-1980s. Gancarz eagerly got rid of all 580 gallons of it.
‘The very tools I am using can cause health problems,’ Gancarz said. ‘They can kill you.’
AFFF is also laced with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, commonly called ‘forever chemicals.’ Studies link AFFF exposure to higher cancer rates among firefighters.”…