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PFOS & PFOA News

Expeditionary civil engineers upgrade fire retardant foam
Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron upgraded their inventory of aqueous film forming foam to a more environmentally friendly version of the fire retardant, Jan. 6 at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group.
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Air Force applies new EPA guidance
The Air Force will apply new Environmental Protection Agency guidance for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to its ongoing effort to determine if water supplies at its U.S. installations and in local communities are at risk for contamination.
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AF awards replacement firefighting foam contract
The Air Force has awarded a $6.2 million contract to replace firefighting foam used in fire vehicles with an environmentally responsible foam to reduce the risk of possible contamination of soil and groundwater.
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PFOS/PFOA Preventing Releases

Preventing Releases Header - Photo of Firetruck Foam Testing System


The Air Force is committed to eliminating firefighting foam containing either PFOS or PFOA from its inventory and is finalizing a phased plan to replace existing firefighting foam inventories with recently approved PFOS/PFOA-free alternatives that still provide adequate fire protection for critical assets and infrastructure.

Air Force Hangars
  • The Air Force is making improvements and standardizing fire suppression systems at installations across the Air Force to reduce and/or eliminate inadvertent releases of AFFF.
Air Force Fire Stations
  • In instances where aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF, is used for response to emergency situations, immediate action is taken to ensure containment.
  • The Air Force is retrofitting 825 fire vehicles with an environmentally-safe way to operationally test vehicles without discharging AFFF into the environment.
  • The Air Force uses double-lined pits for fire-training exercises that require AFFF use. These pits are equipped with fuel/water separators for the capture and reuse of what is sprayed.