Ecology Department seeks comment on disposal plan for toxic firefighting foam
Washington’s Department of Ecology is seeking public input on a plan to dispose of a toxic fire-retardant foam that was used by fire departments for decades before the state restricted its use in 2018.
Under the plan, an Ecology Department contractor, Clean Harbors Inc., would collect stockpiles of the foam from fire departments and state agencies and ship it to an incineration facility in Aragonite, Utah, about 50 miles west of Salt Lake City.
“As part of its environmental review, Ecology also examined land disposal, long-term storage and innovative destruction technology options, and determined that high-temperature incineration currently poses the least risk to human health and the environment,” the department said in a news release.
The same type of firefighting foam was used at Fairchild Air Force Base for decades before it was found to have contaminated West Plains water supplies, including the city of Airway Heights’ tap water system.
Manufactured by chemical giants including the 3M Co., the foam contains substances known as PFAS that have been linked with an array of health problems. Also used in products such as Teflon and Scotchguard, PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they degrade extremely slowly in the environment and in the human body.
A recent study by federal health authorities found alarmingly high concentrations of various types of PFAS in the bloodstreams of people who live around Fairchild.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 333 West Plains residents submitted blood samples for the study. Those included 286 adults and 47 children, and together they represented 168 households in the area surrounding the air base.
Nearly all participants had blood concentrations of PFHxS, PFOS and PFOA that were higher than the national averages found in a previous study from 2016. West Plains residents were found to have more than 60 times as much PFHxS, more than nine times as much PFOS and more than six times as much PFOA in their blood than the average American.
Some scientists say no level of exposure to PFAS can be considered safe. PFAS-contaminated drinking water has also been found in the state in Issaquah, around Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and around Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The Legislature in 2018 banned the use of firefighting foam containing PFAS for training purposes, though it still may be used for fires involving flammable liquids. In July, it became illegal to sell, distribute or manufacture the foam in Washington, with exceptions for the military, federally certified airports, petroleum refineries and some chemical plants.
The Legislature also gave the Ecology Department $1.7 million for the disposal effort.
Washington residents can submit feedback on the Ecology Department’s plan by contacting environmental planner Sean Smith at (425) 649-4495 or sean.smith@ecy.wa.gov. Details of the plan can be found on the agency’s website.