Why GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Firefighting Foam gives us added peace of mind

It not only prohibits PFAS but reduces the chemical footprint of the entire product

March 05, 2020 Blogs

New evidence of the dangers of PFAS to firefighters seems to increase every week. Firefighters already have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general U.S. population. Now a recent study found San Francisco’s women firefighters are exposed to higher levels of certain toxic PFAS chemicals than women working in downtown San Francisco offices. Women firefighters who took part in the study had observed multiple breast cancer cases among their colleagues. As Heather Buren, a lieutenant with the San Francisco Fire Department and principal investigator of the Women Firefighters Biomonitoring Collaborative stated, “We are here, and our health is important.” 

Firefighters face higher exposure from the use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, and this problem is compounded by drinking water contamination caused by the decades-long use of PFAS firefighting foam to put out petroleum- and chemical-based fires. The good news is that many firefighters, purchasers and regulators around the world are actively promoting the use of PFAS-free foam products to avoid future contamination. But how do we know if other chemicals of high concern may be present in the PFAS-free foam?  How can we avoid the mistake of regrettable substitutes?   

The new GreenScreen Certified® Firefighting Foam Standard answers this dilemma. It is the first eco-label for firefighting foam on the market and was launched to give manufacturers and users more information to choose more preferable products. The standard was developed in collaboration with a review team of leading manufacturers, scientists, government experts, and NGOs on the topic of PFAS-free foam. And it was piloted with four companies who successfully certified one product each in time for the launch last month. 

So how does GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Firefighting Foam bring added peace of mind? To me, this answer rests on four key points. First, it requires that each ingredient in the foam concentrate is identified. Second, it ensures that no PFAS are present as validated by analytical testing of total organic fluorine less than 1 ppm. All samples must be sent to ALS, a global commercial laboratory, to allow a clear comparison of results. Third, the product must not contain thousands of other chemicals of high concern by complying with a comprehensive Restricted Substances List and meeting GreenScreen scoring criteria. Fourth, to help protect waterways the Standard requires testing for aquatic toxicity.   

In a recent webinar, David Plant, Global Product Manager for Firefighting Chemicals at National Foam noted that the two most common questions asked of manufacturers about fluorine-free foam (F3) are “Does it Work?” and “Can I use it?”  Regarding the former, he noted that F3 actually arrived on the market about twenty years ago but the current F3 foams have evolved to even more effective chemistries and are available, listed, and approved. But the question “Can I use it?” is where GreenScreen Certified® brings added value for formulators, purchasers and users.  It provides an independent assessment of the complete formulation of all ingredients and their impurities for environmental and human health impacts – which is much more information than they had before - and it provides independent validation of no intentionally added PFAS.

Randy Krause, Fire Chief at Port of Seattle Fire Department added he was very supportive of the transition from PFAS to F3, noting that if a F3 product is deployed correctly it is a viable alternative. But additional confidence is gained from knowing the product has been independently tested and verified to be more protective of people and the environment.   

Let’s hope the switch to PFAS-free firefighting foam brings added peace of mind that we are better protecting firefighters and reducing our chemical footprint. 

Learn more.  

Bev Thorpe
March 5, 2020