The Environmental Problem

The vast majority of fire fighting foams contain fluorinated surfactants which degrade in the environment to either PFOS or H-PFOS (6:2 FtS). Fluorosurfactants are the key to a foam’s efficiency in fighting a whole range of Class B (hydrocarbon fuel) fires.

Fluorosurfactants are persistent in the environment, i.e. they do not biodegrade, and they are likely to be bioaccumulative and toxic. It is illegal to release them knowingly into groundwater or controlled waters.

The Environment Agency has clear guidelines for compliance with legislation including the Ground Water Regulations 1998 and the Water Resources Act 1991 and more recently incorporated Permitting Regulations 2010.

A policy Statement by the Environment Agency issued on the 1st February 2006 on fire-water run-off containing PFOS (perfluorooctane sulphonate) details the protection level for each of the water streams. They include Groundwater, Fresh water, Marine Waters, waters to Sewer and Sewer Sludge Disposal.

The difficulty in the past has always been the availability of credible alternatives for treating foam.

Foamclean now provides a solution.