Deadline for Department of Defense’s Transition Away from PFAS Firefighting Foams Pushed Back Until October 2026
Thu Sep 11th, On Environmental Law, by James Miller
The U.S. Department of Defense will have until October 2026 to remove aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) from its facilities and discontinue its use in portable firefighting equipment. The prohibition of AFFF, which contains toxic compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), was a stipulation in the Department’s fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill scheduled to take effect in October 2024. The Department used a waiver in August 2024 to push the deadline back a year, and moved the deadline back to October 2026 by using its second and final waiver.
What Is AFFF and How Is It Used by the Department of Defense?
According to fire management consultant Eike Peltzer, AFFF primarily extinguishes fires started by flammable liquids, such as gasoline. Firefighters mix a foam concentrate with water that turns into foam when deployed. AFFF concentrate contains PFAS, which are toxic to the environment and human health.
According to the EPA, studies have shown that PFAS may increase developmental abnormalities in children and the risk of certain cancers, among other risks.
Why Are PFAS Still in Use?
Peltzer, the fire management consultant, writes that the chemical structure of AFFF, because of the presence of PFAS, repels water and fats and oils. It’s this combination that makes PFAS-based foams indispensable, as no other synthetic foam-creating compound is hydrophobic and lipophobic.
According to an article about AFFF by Sharon Lerner in The Intercept, Navy vessels began carrying AFFF on board after a disaster on the USS Forrestal in 1967, when a rocket accidentally fired into a fuel tank and lit a fire that killed 134 soldiers.
Furthermore, AFFF has been used at military bases — both in training and for emergencies — since the 1970s.
According to the Department of Defense, the October 1, 2026 deadline for PFAS prohibition will “ensure a methodical and safe transition of approximately 1,000 facilities and over 6,000 mobile assets” to PFAS-free foam, or a water-only firefighting system.