Practices for PFAS Foam Disposal Could Be Generating Secondary Water Contamination Risk

Water Contamination Lawsuit News

Firefighting foam improperly disposed of could be contaminating nearby water supplies with PFAS, aggravating an already major environmental problem

Sunday, April 20, 2025 - A new and equally critical problem is developing as fire departments, airports, and military facilities replace hazardous AFFF foam with safer alternatives: how to properly dispose of the millions of gallons of residual products based on PFAS? Previously resistant to heat, water, and deterioration, these compounds are under environmental close inspection presently. Although firefighters' exposure during use was first of concern, the focus is now on the unexpected effects of disposal techniques. The second wave of contamination is caused by improper habits including burning foam at low temperatures, flushing it into sewer systems, or burying it in unlined landfills. In some cases, what was meant to be a step toward cleanup--making things worse--is what happened. Some towns currently coping with PFAS in their drinking water find that waste management choices, not using on the ground, is the source of the problem. As part of mounting national litigation, legal professionals--including businesses handling PFAS cancer claims or PFAS cancer lawyers--are broadening their emphasis to encompass these flawed disposal methods.

For a reason--they don't break down in the environment and they build up over time in the human body--PFAS, or per and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, are known as "forever chemicals." Any poorly disposed foam containing PFAS can thus remain active in the earth, air, or water for decades. Although incineration seems like a sensible answer, burning the foam can spew PFAS into the air unless done in specialist facilities at very high temperatures. These compounds then either infiltrate water systems via rainfall or settle nearby. Sometimes incineration is contracted to facilities that fall short of environmental safety criteria, therefore endangering surrounding towns. Other disposal techniques including simple landfill storage or deep-well injection have disadvantages as well. Wells aren't perfect. Chemicals enter from landfills into the nearby groundwater. And since PFAS is water-soluble, it travels quickly and contaminates even private wells miles away as well as municipal sources. Often the most at risk for inadvertent mishandling are smaller divisions with minimal resources. Fire chiefs and city officials are occasionally left to make important disposal decisions without the scientific expertise to do so properly in the absence of federal agency direction and conflicting state-level rules. Many times, this results in antiquated methods--such as dissolving foam in water and throwing it down the drain--unaware of the long-term environmental and public health hazards this is generating. Schools, homes, and farms nearby could all be exposed without ever coming into physical touch with the foam. This produces a perilous sense of resolution: the foam disappears from the firehouse, but it still exists in the surroundings--and maybe in the bodies of those who depend on nearby water supplies. Communities are advocating increased openness regarding disposal sites and practices as awareness rises; some even demand a federal PFAS waste register to monitor how and where hazardous materials are handled.

Legal proceedings connected to AFFF are starting to weigh disposal-related risks more and more. People who live close to previous training sites, incinerators, or landfills but were never firemen are finding PFAS in their blood. AFFF cancer lawsuits are starting to involve plaintiffs impacted by indirect exposure resulting from inappropriate waste treatment rather than from direct application. The entire effect of these disposal methods will become obvious as science develops and testing gets more common--and probably more negative. Waste management companies, government contractors, and producers of firefighting foam could soon be sharing responsibility for a catastrophe that has extended well beyond the ground. Along with fresh environmental rules to stop future damage, calls for federal funds to enable appropriate disposal are getting louder. Not just to replace AFFF, but also to properly dispose of it--fire departments--especially smaller ones--need direction, resources, and accountable systems. Bad disposal methods are generating a second wave of PFAS pollution, exposing fresh populations to chemicals even after foam use stops. Runoff, landfill leaks, and incomplete burning all let harmful chemicals find their way back into water systems and contaminate nearby towns. These days, lawsuits cover not only foam exposure but also mishandled disposal of it. Departments might be swapping one risk for another without national guidelines and financial backing. The emphasis should be on making sure foam is permanently removed from the surroundings rather than just taken off shelves and moved about in circles.

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