New DoD specs for firefighting foam, now free of ‘forever chemicals
By Meghann Myers
Friday, Jan 13
The Defense Department is officially requiring any new firefighting foam it buys to be made without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, toxic chemicals associated with a host of health issues and known to have contaminated the ground water of dozens of military bases.
The Pentagon published a new military specification on Jan. 6 — part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act — which also required the department to stop buying PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foam by October, with another year to eliminate its use entirely.
“The DoD invented AFFF and for decades was one of the world’s most prolific PFAS polluters,” Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, said in a press release Thursday. “The new standard marks critical progress toward finally eliminating this source of PFAS contamination from military installations.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/01/13/new-dod-specs-for-fire-fighting-foam-now-free-of-forever-chemicals/
