Fluorine Free Foam Association

Information For the Fire Fighter

Fluorine Foam Hazards

Fluorine Containing Foams

Fluorine Based Foams known as C8 and C6 based foams have been on the Market for Decades, It wasn't Until the late 90's We Suddenly Realized they Contain Hazardous Compounds to Biologic Life.

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Fluorine Containing Foams

This List is Provided to all End Users Free of Charge, it is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every manufactures foam. It is a list of those foams that indicated fluorine content in some form.

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Recommended Partners

Fluorine Containing Foams

Recommended Partners

Industry Partners

A List of Corporations, Distributors and Associates Dedicated to providing Fluorine Free Products for the Market.

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Who Knew What When

1920 Chemical foam

https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1940 US Navy used Protein Foam as the primary Class B firefighting flammable/combustible liquid) agent. (ibid.) US fire departments continued using protein foams through the 1990s.

1947 3M began mass producing PFOA in 1947

1948 3M acquired the patent for a process of creating compounds out of fluorine. Several Manhattan Project scientists had landed with 3M after the war and had already used fluorine to separate the uranium used for the atom bomb. The new method bonded carbon to fluorine atoms, creating novel material called PFOA. https://theintercept.com/2018/07/31/3m-pfas-minnesota-pfoa-pfos/

1950 After two years of conferring with various companies, 3M landed a deal to sell PFOA to DuPont to make Teflon.

1950 3M mice study reveals that PFAS builds up in blood. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1951 DuPont began using PFOA or C8 to make Teflon, buying it from 3M. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

1951 “The first account of their effects on man appeared in the medical literature…Harris described four cases of “polymer-fume fever.” “ https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1953 ScotchguardTMproducts are based upon PFAS and PFOS was discovered in 1953

1955 “Sherwood reported seven cases of polymer-fume fever and related it to a history of smoking in the workers.” “Sufficient knowledge is available to classify this as a preventable disease.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1956 Stanford University study finds that PFAS binds to proteins in human blood. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1961 First experiments with fluorocarbon surfactants at NRL (2000 DoD documentation)

1961 DuPont toxicologist warns that PFAS chemicals enlarge rat and rabbit livers. Dorothy B. Hood, Chief, Toxicology Section reported: “Contact with the skin should be strictly avoided.” (emphasis added) https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1962 First MilSpec (Mil-F-23905, 1 Nov 63) 25% concentration (fresh water only). Emphasis on twin agent application. (ibid.)

1962 “An “epidemic” of polymer-fume fever involved 36 of 61 employees in one industry [DuPont] over a 90-day period” who smoked PFAS laced cigarettes. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1962 JCI facilities tested, manufactured and/or trained with AFFF containing PFAS at their facilities in the city of Marinette and the Peshtigo area from as early as 1962 to the present. According to information supplied by JCI, AFFF products containing “C8” or “long-chain” PFAS were used until approximately 2014. AFFF products containing “C6” or “short-chain” PFAS have been used from the mid-1990’s to [the] present. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/MarinetteFAQ.html

1963 US Navy scientists began to work with 3M to develop AFFF and began to use it. Navy scientists seek patent for AFFF. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

1963 3M technical manual deems PFAS toxic. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1964 Helo air borne (sic) TA tests at NAS Miramar (ibid.)

1965 6% concentration developed by 3M (FC-194) (ibid.)

1965 DuPont rat study shows liver damage and increased spleen size. Director of DuPont’s Haskell Labs “received a memo describing preliminary studies that showed that even low doses of a related surfactant could increase the size of rats’ livers, a class response to exposure to a poison.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

And Lerner, Sharon (11 August 2015). "The Teflon Toxin: DuPont and the Chemistry of Deception". The Intercept. Retrieved 2 October 2019

1966 Navy granted patent for AFFF

1966 The Food and Drug Administration rejects a DuPont petition to use PFAS chemicals as a food additive, citing liver studies. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1966 3M study finds that PFAS causes “acute oral toxicity” in rats. (ibid.)

1967 Seawater-compatible AFFF developed by 3M and NRL. Navy and Marine Corp require the use of AFFF. Fire on the USS Forrestal kills 134 sailors and injured 161. AFFF patented by Navy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

1968 First edition of seawater / AFFF MilSpec (Mill-F-24375) (2000 DoD documentation)

1969 Initial specification issued and push to convert ships to AFFF (ibid.)

1969 Bob Gore working with W.L. Gore and Associates, a company established by this father, accidentally discovered that a “sudden, accelerated yank” caused the PTFE to “stretch about 800%, which resulted in the transformation of solid PTFE into a microporous structure that was about 70% air.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

1970 First product on the Qualified Products List (QPL). Navy starts comprehensive conversion of ship systems and crash trucks. (ibid.)

1970 3M (through Chemical Concentrates Corporation letter of 15 June 1970) warns Fire Journal, the magazine of the National Fire Protection Association, that PFAS is toxic to fish. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1970 DuPont scientists say PFAS is “highly toxic when inhaled.” (ibid.)

1970s Research by 3M finds that the PFOA and PFOS are toxic. 3M's own experiments on rats and monkeys concluded that PFAS compounds "should be regarded as toxic.” 3M researchers documented the presence of PFOS and PFOA—the "two best-known PFAS compounds"—in fish. Air Force report, citing toxic effects of AFFF, calls for carbon filtration.

1973 Numerous major Air Command environmental coordinators expressed concern for disposing of AFFFs after use. Biodegradation of AFFFs when they represent the only source of organic material is not practical. USAF starts converting all USAF crash trucks. (1973 DoD documentation)

1973 DuPont finds there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in food packaging. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1974 Air Force report cites toxic effects of AFFF on fish, suggests treatment of AFFF waste. (USAF Environmental Health Laboratory (AFLC), Biodegradability and Toxicity of Light Water, FC206, Aqueous Film Forming Foam, Kelly AFB, Texas, November 1974)

1975 University of Florida researcher Warren Guy called 3M to get help with a medical mystery his colleague, Donald Taves, had stumbled upon. Taves had detected a form of fluoride in his own blood that hadn’t been found in blood before. The fluorine did not break down and appeared to be part of a large and stable molecule. 3M pled ignorance. https://theintercept.com/2018/07/31/3m-pfas-minnesota-pfoa-pfos/

1975 3M is informed that PFAS builds up in human blood samples. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1975 DuPont warns 3M about “toxic effects” of PFAS in food packaging. (ibid.)

1975 W.S. Guy, D.R. Raves and W.S. Brey, Jr. present a paper at Chicago ACS meeting entitled, “Characteristics and Concentrations of Organic Fluoro Compounds Found in Human Tissues.” (ibid.)

1975 Dorothy B. Hood, Chief, Toxicology Section reported: “Contact with the skin should be strictly avoided.” (ibid.)

1976 Navy scientists cite toxic effects of AFFF

1976 3M measured fluorochemicals in plant workers blood in Cottage Grove, Minnesota at “1,000 times normal.” The chemicals appeared in animals too. 3M begins testing some workers’ blood for PFOA and finds it in almost everyone tested. http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1976 Central Research Analytical develops an accurate analytical method for determining parts per billion (ppb) quantities of organic fluorine compounds in human blood. Method tested on blood from American Red Cross and value agrees with those in literature.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1977 3M tests workers and animals to measure PFAS in blood. 3M finds PFOS, the PFAS chemical in the company’s Scotchgard fabric treatment, “more toxic than anticipated.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1978 18 US harbors were studied by the Navy. Navy study cites toxic effects of AFFF.

1978 Two studies on monkeys were done. One had to be stopped because all the monkeys given PFOS died. In another test, monkeys given PFOA developed tiny lesions on their spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow, all organs central to maintain the body’s immune defenses.Neither study was published. The company waited 22 years before giving the troubling studies to the EPA or reporting evidence the chemical was in the general public’s blood. 3M concludes that PFOS and PFOA, a PFAS chemical used to make DuPont’s Teflon, “should be regarded as toxic.” https://theintercept.com/2018/07/31/3m-pfas-minnesota-pfoa-pfos/

and https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1978 States damage to aquatic life unknown but up above (1974) it states AF cites toxic effects of AFFF on fish. (conclusion – further questions) Tons of fish/minnow/sea life studies in this doc. Under 7.0 Precautions it states: “In compliance with the environmental protection policies of reference (2.1), Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) may be harmful to marine life and shall not be discharged into navigable waters.” (Candidate Environmental Impact Statement, Discharging AFFF to Harbor Waters During Tests of Machinery Space Fire-Fighting Foam Systems Aboard U.S. Navy Ships, January 1978)

1978 AFFF firefighting equipment is tested aboard naval ships located in 33 ports in the continental US and Hawaii and in 6 naval shipyards servicing surface ships. (p. 11, ibid.)

1978 3M finds that PFOA is “completely resistant” to breakdown in the environment. http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1979 DuPont survey of employees in its Parkersburg, West Virginia Teflon plant finds possible evidence of liver damage. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1979 “3M finds PFOS in the blood of five workers in Alabama. Fish in the Tennessee River, where up to 1 million pounds of PFOS waste were dumped each year, are found to have significant concentrations of the chemical in their blood, evidence of bioaccumulation.” http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1979 “A study has begun to develop new formulations of AFFF to improve environmental characteristics (Contract No. N00173-76-R-B-309) The development of experimental AFFF formulations that would exhibit a reduced impact on the environment while retaining fire-fighting effectiveness will be explored.” (p. 83, ibid.)

1980s A US Navy study finds that AFFF has “adverse effects environmentally” and kills aquatic life. Research at 3M proves that employees have PFOA and PFOS in their blood. DuPont discovers that PFOA passes from a mother to her unborn baby via the umbilical cord.

1981 3M and DuPont reassign female workers after animal studies reveal PFAS damages the eyes of the developing fetus. “Two of seven children of women working at Washington Works are found to have birth defects of the eye, tear duct or nose DuPont transfers “all potentially exposed female employees” out of the plant but does not tell them why. 3M finds that PFOA causes birth defects in rats. DuPont finds PFOA in umbilical cord blood and blood from a second baby born to female workers at the Washington Works plant.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdfand http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1982 Bruce Karrh, DuPont’s chief medical director, “expressed concern over employees’ exposure. The company barred women of child-bearing age from working in the laboratory where they would come in contact with the chemical.” https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2016/04/01/dupont-illnesses-deaths-c8/81151346/

1983 Air Force technical report finds PFDA has toxic effects in mouse studies. (DoD-PFAS-Timeline-1983.pdf)

1983 3M identifies PFAS’ potential harm to the immune system as a cause for concern. “3M doctors warn that organic fluorine levels in workers’ blood are steadily rising, evidence that PFCs accumulate faster than the body can eliminate them.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

and http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1984 3M documents rising fluorine levels in workers’ blood. DuPont detects PFAS in the tap water in Little Hocking, Ohio, but does not alert the local water utility. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1984 “In 1984, DuPont began to secretively collect local tap water, asking employees to bring in jugs of water from their own homes, schools, and local businesses, and discovered that C8 was making its way into public drinking water supplies in both Ohio and West Virginia at potentially dangerous levels. Minutes recorded at a meeting at DuPont’s corporate headquarters in Delaware that year suggest a high level of concern regarding how this could affect the company’s image and bottom line. “Legal and medical will likely take the position of total elimination,” notes from the meeting read. The company executives present, however, concluded the available methods for cutting pollution were not “economically attractive.”” https://www.salon.com/2016/01/04/teflons_toxic_legacy_partner/

1985 Navy report again cites toxic effects of AFFF. (AD-A160 874, Technical Document 825, July 1985, Toxicity of Aqueous Film Forming Foams to Marine Organisms: Literature Review and Biological Assessment, S.M. Salazar)

1987 3M PFOA animal study finds tumors. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1989 Citing toxic effects, Air Force calls for better management of AFFF waste.

1989 3M study finds elevated cancer rates among PFAS workers. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1990 3M study finds risk of testicular cancer from exposure to PFOA, also known as C8. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1990 Tyco International purchased Ansul and the Marinette fire facility.

1991 Army urges Fort Carson to stop using “hazardous” AFFF.

1992 DuPont study finds elevated cancer rates among workers. Former 3M scientist finds male PFOA workers more likely to die from prostate cancer. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1995 DuPont scientist expresses concern over long-term PFAS health effects. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1997 DuPont study finds heightened cancer rates among workers at the Parkersburg plant. (ibid.)

1997 “3M looks worldwide for clean blood samples to compare to its workers’ blood but finds only one source not contaminated with PFOS – preserved blood of soldiers who died in the Korean War, before Scotchgard products spread worldwide.” http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1998 Attorney Rob Bilott of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP of Cincinnati, Ohio took on a case representing Wilbur Tennant, a Parkersburg, West Virginia farmer whose cattle had been decimated from tons of PFOA dumped into local landfills by a DuPont plant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

1998 3M scientists report that PFAS moves through the food chain. 3M provides EPA evidence that PFAS accumulates in blood. 3M animal study finds liver damage from PFAS exposure. “3M finds that PFOS causes liver cancer in rats. Despite federal law prohibiting the use in food of any substance that causes cancer in animals, 3M continued until 2000 to petition the FDA to allow PFOS in microwave popcorn bags.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdfand http://static.ewg.org/reports/2015/poisoned_legacy/Poisoned_Legacy.pdf

1998 EPA was first alerted to the risks of PFAS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

1999 EPA and 3M find that PFOS contamination is appearing at blood banks around the country. At the Wilbur Tennant trial, it is revealed that the nearby DuPont plant dumped tons of PFOA into a local landfills poisoning the cattle’s water supply and the Ohio River, polluting the drinking water of some 80,000 people.

1999 3M scientist describes PFOS as “the most insidious pollutant since PCB.” https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

1999 Rob Bilott filed a federal lawsuit against DuPont in the Southern District of West Virginia on behalf of the Tennants. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2000 In 3M performed testing (over the previous 2 years), they found PFOS in blood banks around the US as well as in fish and birds, discovered toxicity issues and that these chemicals are “Bioaccumulative” and “Toxic.” (AFFF DoD Meeting, Hughes Associates, Inc., Fire Science & Engineering, August 2, 2000)

2000 3M announced voluntary phase out of PFOA and PFOS production globally as a precautionary measure. 3M begins creating new “short-chain” PFAS formulations that are similarly hazardous, scientist say. DoD alerted that PFOS is “bioaccumulative” and “toxic.” EPA reports: "Also produced by breakdown / degradation of other sulfonyl-based fluorochemicals." (emphasis added) (2000 DoD documentation)

2000 3M animal study finds liver damage from PFOS exposure. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfa-timeline/3M-DuPont-Timeline_sm.pdf

2000 Rob Bilott found an article mentioning the little-known substance – a surfactant – called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or C8 which had been found in DuPont’s Dry Run Creek, adjacent to the Tennant farm while researching in preparation for the court case. Bilott requested more information on the chemical. This concerned DuPont’ lawyer, Bernard J. Reilly, who raised concerns at DuPont’s Delaware headquarters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substancesDuPont settled the Tennant case with Rob Bilott. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2001 A highly cited 2001 article in Environmental Science & Technology, reported “for the first time, on the global distribution of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) a fluorinated organic contaminant. Based on the study, “PFOS were widely detected in wildlife throughout the world” and that “PFOS is widespread in the environment.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2001 DoD memo finds PFOS “persistent, bioaccumulating, and toxic.” DoD and EPA hold meeting on military use of PFAS in AFFF. (2001 EPA-D0D-Meeting-on-AFFF)

2001 Firefighting Foam Coalition (FFFC) was formed to focus on issues related to the efficacy and environmental impact of firefighting foams. DuPont and Dynax were founding members. (https://www.fffc.org/)

2001 Rob Bilott first asked EPA to regulate PFOA under the Toxic Substances Control act, “on the grounds that it ‘may be hazardous to human health and the environment.’” Bilott based his plea on decades of research on PFOS and PFOA he had uncovered trough his legal work. In one of the many studies he unearthed, which was reported by 3M scientists in 2001, two of six male monkeys exposed to PFOS died. The chemical also caused monkeys to lose weight, increased the weight of their livers, and interfered with various hormones.https://theintercept.com/2015/12/16/toxic-firefighting-foam-has-contaminated-u-s-drinking-water-with-pfcs/Rob Bilott demanded immediate action to regulate PFOA and the entire case and letters were sent to the director of every relevant regulatory authority, including Christie Whitman, administrator of the E.P.A., and the United States attorney general, John Ashcroft. DuPont requested a gag order which the federal court denied. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2002 Most of 3M phase out in US was completed by year end. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Public Health Laboratory developed an analytical method tailored to the PFAS found in the 3M waste disposal sites. They also developed two other methods with longer analyte lists to evaluate AFFF and other sites. These investigations resulted in the discovery of groundwater contamination covering over 150 square miles, affecting the drinking water supplies of over 140,000 Minnesotans. Over 2,600 private wells have been sampled and 798 drinking water advisories issued. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/hazardous/topics/history.html

2003 3M fluorine-free foam patented. Formulation was commercialized by Solberg. Ted Schaefer, a chemist who worked for 3M in Australia patented a fire fighting foam that did not contain PFOS or any other persistent ingredients. Immediately after 3M chose to no longer manufacture PFOS in 2000, the company deployed Schaefer to develop a replacement for AFFF. By 2002, Shaefer, who had worked for years on "foams used to put out forest fires," developed a fluorine-free foam that was able to put out jet fuel fires within 46 seconds. The International Civil Aviation Organization standard was 60-seconds.

2003 FFFC asked EPA to exempt the newer chemicals because they were safe. (https://theintercept.com/2018/02/10/firefighting-foam-afff-pfos-pfoa-epa/)

2003 The average concentration of PFOA in the blood of an adult American was 4 to 5 ppt. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html Blood testing found PFOA in 99.7% of more than 2,000 blood samples in the US. PFOS was in 99.9% https://theintercept.com/2018/07/31/3m-pfas-minnesota-pfoa-pfos/

2003 Weinberg Group’s then VP of Product Defense, P. Terrence Gaffney, wrote a 5-page letter urging DuPont to prepare a defense strategy for future litigation related to the health impacts of PFOA in Parkersburg, WV. The letter was mentioned in an Environmental science & Technology article called “The Weinberg proposal” by Paul D. Thacker. Gaffney wrote that, “DuPont must shape the debate at all levels.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2003 Gale D. Pearson, then a local lawyer in Cottage Grove, was one of the first people to look into contaminated ground water in Cottage Grove. In 2003, lawyers had contacted her regarding a personal injury case about contaminated water near a DuPont plant in West Virginia where they manufactured Teflon. She knew that 3M had manufactured PFOAs in their Cottage Grove facility. Pearson discovered through the Environmental Working Group (EWS) that PFAS were not just found in Washington County, Minnesota and West Virginia, but all over the world. 3M had dumped waste in the Cottage Grove "when it was still just farmland" and in other nearby farmlands in Washington County. Pearson and her team hired a chemist to test soil and water samples on the properties where 3M had dumped the chemicals. Blood samples from the local population in the affected area were also tested for PFAS. Pearson said that the laboratory tests revealed that there was a "hotspot of contamination in the blood of the community." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2003 A report by Oregon State University's Jennifer Field which was based on "data on fluorosurfactants in groundwater at three military sites where AFFF was used to train fire responders" concluded that the "perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates found in the groundwater came from PFOS-based AFFF agents.” Field said that "the 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate was likely the primary breakdown product of the six-carbon fluorosurfactants contained in fluorotelomer-based AFFF." Field's report was presented at an October 2003 EPA workgroup, which "determined that modern AFFF agents" were "not likely to be a source of PFCAs such as PFHxA and PFOA in the environment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2004 According to a report by ChemRisk—an "industry risk assessor" hired by DuPont, Dupont's Parkersburg, West Virginia-based Washington Works plant had "dumped, poured and released" over 1.7 million pounds of C8 or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) into the environment between 1951 and 2003. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChemRisk

2004 Class action lawsuit for Parkersburg, WV lawsuit settled by Rob Bilott. C8 Health Study set up for medical monitoring. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2004 “In 2004 the US EPA, too, filed a lawsuit against DuPont, charging it with concealing evidence about C8’s risks for more than two decades.” https://www.salon.com/2016/01/04/teflons_toxic_legacy_partner/

2005 An EPA advisory panel concludes that PFOA is a “likely” human carcinogen.

2005 3M tested human blood from around the US and Canada for 15 different PFAS and found 14 of them. The company submitted the testing results to the EPA as law requires chemical manufacturers to do when they have evidence that their products pose a substantial risk to human health or the environment. https://theintercept.com/2018/07/31/3m-pfas-minnesota-pfoa-pfos/

2005 – 2006 The C8 Health Project undertaken by the C8 Science Panel "surveyed 69,030 individuals" who had "lived, worked, or attended school for ≥ 1 year in one of six contaminated water districts near the plant between 1950 and 3 December 2004." Rob Bilott’s work resulted in an EPA case brought against DuPont that they settled for $16.5M, less than 2% of the profits they made on PFOA that year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substancesThis was the largest civil penalty ever in the agency’s history. But environmental groups argued that the fine was little more than a slap on the wrist to a company where a single division sold more than that amount in a single day.“ https://www.salon.com/2016/01/04/teflons_toxic_legacy_partner/

2005 Watertown, Wisconsin tire fire, foaming operations with F-500 over 2 ½ days. One of the world’s 9 worst tire fires. 920 firefighters from 106 fire departments were involved.

2006 The EPA brokered a voluntary agreement with DuPont and eight other major companies to stop producing “long-chain” PFAS, citing potential birth defects and other risk. DuPont and others agree to phase out production by 2015; like 3M they begin making new varieties, none proven safe. Zanolli, Lauren (23 May 2019), "Why you need to know about PFAS, the chemicals in pizza boxes and rainwear." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/23/pfas-everyday-products-toxics-guide

2006 “Toxicologic Safety Evaluation of Aqueous Fire-Fighting Foams. From the standpoint of the firefighter health, elimination of the AFFF will not prevent further biological contamination with PFOA. Firefighter injuries include those associated with inhalation exposures (carbon monoxide and acid gases), along with thermal burns. Given the real chemical and physical risks associated with firefighting, the PFOA issue is of minor importance to this occupational group.” (NMPHC FOIA Request, J.T. Pierce, by direction, Department of the Navy, 06 Jan 2006, p. 4)

2006 Prompted by an inquiry by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources — now the Department of Environmental Quality — OSHA inspected the facility [DuPont, Fayetteville] in early 2006. Monitoring records of 33 employees from 2005 and 2006 showed workers exposed to PFOA, a type of perfluorinated compound, had higher than normal levels of the contaminant in their blood: less than 1 part per billion to 4.54 ppb. http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2019/09/13/dupont-tested-fayetteville-workers-blood-found-elevated-levels-of-pfas/

2007 PFOS and PFOA are estimated to be in the blood serum of more than 98% of Americans.

2007 EPA concluded that existing data “provided no evidence that these fluorosurfactants biodegrade into PFOA or its homologs...” according to a 2007 Industrial Fire Journal (IFJ) article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2007 Minnesota won $40M in lawsuit against 3M regarding PFAS. https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-takes-first-step-to-shield-taxpayers-from-toxic-cleanup/article_e40ea686-11ff-5db3-af44-0d020f30a5da.html

2008 3M submitted a report to EPA showing that PFBS accumulated in the blood and livers of rats. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4363240-8-E-Filing-2008-May.htmland https://theintercept.com/2018/02/10/pfos-pfoa-epa-chemical-contamination/

2009 An MLive investigation in fall 2018 shows that high concentrations of PFOS is moving from industry into 15 wastewater treatment plants, and with some eventually getting into Michigan drinking water supplies. While that is enough to put those plants under DEQ scrutiny due to surface water standards for PFOS, laboratory reports show that FTS 6:2, too, is flowing into surface water from many of the plants. Also present is the chemical that FTS 6:2 breaks down into: PFHxA, another short-chain form of the “forever chemicals.” https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/01/michigan-to-consider-risk-from-safe-form-of-pfas.html

2009 EPA issues a nonenforceable provisional “lifetime drinking water health advisory” of a maximum 200 ppt for PFOS and 400 ppt for PFOA. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/drinkingwaterhealthadvisories_pfoa_pfos_updated_5.31.16.pdf

2010 3M submitted another adverse incident report to the EPA that showed much like PFOS and PFOA, PFBS affects the livers of mice, as well as their cholesterol and fat levels. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4363242-8-E-Filing-2010-Feb.htmland https://theintercept.com/2018/02/10/pfos-pfoa-epa-chemical-contamination/

2011 DoD acknowledges the PFAS crisis in an internal study: 594 military sites are likely to have contaminated groundwater. DoD releases a Chemical and Material Emerging Risk Alert for AFFF, citing “human health and environmental risks.”

2011 FFFC estimates the military has the largest US stockpile of PFOS-containing firefighting foam, with around a million gallons. https://theintercept.com/2015/12/16/toxic-firefighting-foam-has-contaminated-u-s-drinking-water-with-pfcs/

2011 After seven years, the C8 Health Study scientists began to release their findings: there was a ‘‘probable link’’ between PFOA and kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, pre-eclampsia and ulcerative colitis. 3,535 lawsuits begin based upon the study. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2012 EPA directs large public water systems to test for PFAS. The results suggest that as many as 110 million Americans are exposed to PFAS in their drinking water the EWG reports.

2012 A landmark medical known as the C8 Health Study found probable links between PFOA exposure and six diseases: testicular cancer, kidney cancer, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease and pregnancy-induced hypertension. The minimum level of contamination in water districts represented in the suit was low — just .05 ppb, a small fraction of the level now being used to guide cleanup — and more recent research suggests maximum levels for drinking water should be even lower than that. https://theintercept.com/2015/12/16/toxic-firefighting-foam-has-contaminated-u-s-drinking-water-with-pfcs/

2013 DuPont ceases production of PFOA as part of its agreement with EPA. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2013 Tyco (formerly Ansul) conducted PFAS sampling on the FTC property and discovered PFAS on their 380 acre fire training site. However, Tyco did not notify the Wisconsin DNR of the discharge of the hazardous substance. The DNR would not be notified until 2017, 4 years later. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/MarinetteFAQ.html

2014 A study of an Australian firefighters group indicated PFC levels in ranges six to 10 times higher than that of the Australian population. Considering that the major manufacturer as the primary source of this product ceased production in 2002, these levels are still quite high. https://www.fireapparatusmagazine.com/2017/07/10/the-legacy-of-firefighting-foam/

2015 Levi Strauss declines to go with C6 due to the Precautionary Principle as did Crate & Barrel, IKEA and 50 other companies. Levi Strauss issues a Case Study. https://www.levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/160311_Case-Story_Levi-Strauss_May252016final1.pdf

2015 The Madrid Statement was issued by 200 scientists on PFAS. It expressed concern about the production of all fluorochemicals, or PFAS, including those that have replaced PFOA. PFOA and its replacements are suspected to belong to a large class of artificial compounds called endocrine-disrupting chemicals; these compounds, which include chemicals used in the production of pesticides, plastics and gasoline, interfere with human reproduction and metabolism and cause cancer, thyroid problems and nervous-system disorders. In the last five years, however, a new wave of endocrinology research has found that even extremely low doses of such chemicals can create significant health problems. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

2016 “New environmentally responsible six carbon chain formula” of AFFF brought in. The new foam contains no PFOS and “little or no PFOA,” according to an Air Force press release. PFOA can also be created by the degradation of some fluorinated telomers that are not manufactured using PFOA. (emphasis added)

2016 EPA issues a far stricter [voluntary] lifetime health advisory level for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water: 70 ppt. The advisory included the warning that, “exposure to the chemicals at levels above 70 ppt, total, could be dangerous.” EPA reported “Drinking water systems and public health officials should also promptly provide consumers with information about the levels of PFOA and PFOS in their drinking water. This notice should include specific information on the risks to fetuses during pregnancy and breastfed and formula-fed infants from exposure to drinking water with an individual or combined concentration of PFOA and PFOS above 70 ppt.” https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/drinkingwaterhealthadvisories_pfoa_pfos_updated_5.31.16.pdf

2016 EPA has failed for 20 years to regulate PFAS or any other new hazardous substance for drinking water, advocates have noted. https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2019/02/19/groundwater-contamination-devastates-a-new-mexico-dairy-and-threatens-public-health/

2016 Wisconsin requested that Tyco sample groundwater at the FTC for PFAS, given the growing national concern over PFAS and AFFF firefighting foams. Sampling results found PFAS. Johnson Controls and Tyco merged to form Johnson Controls International (JCI). https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/MarinetteFAQ.html

2016 Assistant Secretary of Defense directs branches of the military to prevent uncontrolled environmental releases of AFFF and to dispose properly of PFOS containing AFFF. https://static.ewg.org/reports/2019/pfas-dod-timeline/DoD-PFAS-Timeline.pdf

2017 MIL-PRF-24385F w/Amendment 2 instituted 800 ppb maximum limit on PFOS and PFOA in concentrate. 3.2 Materials. Concentrates shall consist of fluorocarbon surfactants plus other compounds as required to conform to the requirements specified hereinafter. The material shall have no adverse effect on the health of personnel when used for its intended purpose. https://greensciencepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/MIL-PRF-24385F2.pdf

2017 Identified DoD’s goal “…to acquire and use a non-fluorinated AFFF formulation or equivalent firefighting agent to meet the performance requirements.” The FFFC's 2017 fact sheet stated that the short-chain (C6) fluorosurfactants which are replacing the longer C8 in AFFF are "low in toxicity and not considered to be bioaccumulative based on current regulatory criteria.” https://b744dc51-ddb0-4c4a-897d-1466c1ae1265.filesusr.com/ugd/331cad_fa5766eb867b4a5080330ce96db195fa.pdf

2017 The 2001 class-action lawsuit that Bilott had filed against DuPont, on behalf of Parkersburg resident, resulted in DuPont agreeing to pay $671M in cash to settle around 3,550 personal injury claims involving a lead of PFOA or C8. DuPont denied any wrongdoing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2017 A Bloomberg article reported the MHD notified the Mayor of Cottage Grove, Myron Bailey, that the MHD had “set a new, [stricter] lower level for a type of unregulated chemical found in Minnesota’s drinking water” and that Cottage Grove’s water “would exceed the new threshold” that was necessary to “better protect infants and young children.” Bailey called a state of emergency. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2017 The jury in a case against DuPont, awarded compensation of $10.5M to the plaintiff in the U.S. District Court in Columbus, with U.S. Chief District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. presiding. The attorney for the plaintiff, Gary J. Douglas urged the jury to award punitive damages that reflected DuPont's assets and income—as revealed by the witness for the plaintiff—Robert Johnson a forensic economist. Johnson said that DuPont has $18.8B in assets "that can be converted to cash" and "has net sales of $68 million a day." Johnson said that DuPont makes "$2 million...in 42 minutes."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2017 Tyco (formerly Ansul) ends spraying of firefighting foam with perfluorinated chemicals in late 2017. The fire technology center is situated on a 380 acre facility in Marinette, Wisconsin. JCI, the parent company of Tyco, notified the Wisconsin DNR who notified the public. Under the oversight of the DNR, Tyco began conducting a site investigation for PFAS contamination in Fall 2017. In Peshtigo PFOA & PFOS were tested as high as 202,000 ppt in groundwater and 1,900 ppt in drinking well water. Tyco Fire Products is being held responsible for the contamination. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/Marinette.html https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/documents/jci/PFASMapMainettePeshtigo2.pdf

https://patch.com/wisconsin/milwaukee/toxic-pfas-chemical-found-6-wisconsin-water-systems

2017 In October, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority filed a federal lawsuit against Chemours and DuPont, alleging the companies knew the threats posed by the chemicals when it began manufacturing C8 and later replaced that with GenX at its Fayetteville Works site. The utility alleges Chemours violated the Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation Recovery Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Solid Waste Disposal Act and claims more than $75,000 in damages. https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2018/11/21/blood-tests-show-4-pfas-but-no-genx/

2018 PFAS contamination is detected at 121 military sites and suspected at hundreds of others. At least 564 drinking water supplies in nearby communities have PFAS levels that exceed the EPA health advisory. A Clovis dairy farmer finds out from the Air Force that PFOA and PFOS pollution from Cannon Air Force Base has contaminated his wells, land, cows and their milk. One of the wells has a concentration of 12,000 ppt, nearly 171 times higher than the EPA health advisory level. He will have to exterminate his 4,000 dairy cows. https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2019/02/19/groundwater-contamination-devastates-a-new-mexico-dairy-and-threatens-public-health/

2018 A class action lawsuit against 3M, DuPont, and Chemoursalong with 8 other companies was filed on behalf of everyone in the United States who has been exposed to PFAS chemicals. The suit was brought by Kevin Hardwick, an Ohio firefighter, but “seeks relief on behalf of a nationwide class of everyone in the United States who has a detectable level of PFAS chemicals in their blood.” https://theintercept.com/2018/10/06/dupont-pfas-chemicals-lawsuit/

2018 Attorney Mark Cuker won an appellate court ruling that the Navy did not have sovereign immunity. Third Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed the decision, which determined the US can be required to pay for medical monitoring to the exposures at military Superfund sites. https://earthjustice.org/features/pfas-toxic-taps?sfns=mo

2018 ATSDR was about to release an assessment of PFAS chemicals, with a focus on two specific chemicals from the PFAS class—PFOA and PFOS—that have "contaminated water supplies near military bases, chemical plants and other sites from New York to Michigan to West Virginia" which showed that the PFAS chemicals "endanger human health at a far lower level than EPA has previously called safe." The HHS updated ATSDR study would have warned that exposure to PFOA and PFOS at less than one-sixth of the EPAs current guideline of 70 ppt, "could be dangerous for sensitive populations like infants and breastfeeding mothers." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2018 In September, the Independent Expert Panel (IPEN) released a white paper entitled, “Fluorine-Free Firefighting Foams (3F) Viable Alternatives to Fluorinated Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) “Fluorine-free foams are available, certified and effective for all firefighting applications, for the few specialized uses remaining to be fine-tuned developments to address these are well advanced. As such there is absolutely no need for any exemptions, whether conditional, i.e., derogations, or otherwise, allowing the continued use of existing or new stocks of fluorinated foams (including those containing free PFOA, its salts, or PFOA precursors) as the local regulatory legislation of almost all jurisdictions has more than adequate provisions to permit transition to best practice with controls, milestones and timelines appropriate to the particular circumstances.

The continued use of PFAS foams is not only unnecessary but would continue to add to the legacy and on-going contamination that is responsible for the substantial, widespread and growing socio-economic and environmental costs being experienced globally.” https://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/IPEN_F3_Position_Paper_POPRC-14_12September2018d.pdf

2018 LastFire Summit in Dallas / Ft. Worth Airport utilized fluorine-free firefighting foams in large atmospheric storage tanks and performed effectively, especially when applied as a CAF based foam. http://www.lastfire.co.uk/uploads/LASTFIRE%20DFW%20Testing%20Press%20Release.pdf

2018 According to an article by the Center for Science and Democracy's director, Michael Halpern and posted by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), in early 2018, Nancy Beck, Deputy Assistant Administrator at the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), Office of Research and Development (ORD)—three branches of the EPA—exchanged chains of emails with Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the US DoD, HHS, and the Pentagon, to put pressure on the ATSDR to censor a report that measured the "health effects" of PFAS that are "found in drinking water and household products throughout the United States." Beck wrote to EPA staff including, Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Ryan Jackson, and Peter Grevatt, and Mike Flynn (EPA) in regards to "PFAS meeting with ATSDR" that the "implications for susceptible populations came as a surprise to OCSPP staff." Beck is "one of the EPA political appointees with ties to the chemical industry involved in the effort to prevent the study from being released." An email by an unidentified Trump administration aid that was forwarded by OMB’s James Herz, said that "The public, media, and Congressional reaction to these numbers is going to be huge. The impact to EPA and [the Defense Department] is going to be extremely painful. We (DoD and EPA) cannot seem to get ATSDR to realize the potential public relations nightmare this is going to be." one unidentified White House aide said in an email forwarded on 30 Jan. by James Herz, a political appointee who oversees environmental issues at the OMB. The email added: "The impact to EPA and [the Defense Department] is going to be extremely painful. We (DoD and EPA) cannot seem to get ATSDR to realize the potential public relations nightmare this is going to be." (ibid.)

2018, In March, the DoD's report to Congress said that test that they conducted showed that the amount of PFAS chemicals in water supplies near 126 DoD facilities, "exceeded the current safety guidelines.” The DoD has "used foam containing" PFAS chemicals "in exercises at bases across the country.” The DoD therefore, "risks the biggest liabilities" in relation to the use of PFAS chemicals according to Politico. (ibid.)

2018, May Politico gained access to the email chains and published the story in May, saying that Scott Pruitt's EPA had worked with the Trump administration to block the publication of the ATSDR report. (ibid.)

2018 In June, ATSDR’s long delayed 697-page draft report for public comment, "Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls,” was finally released. (ibid.) The document had been delayed at least six months because the ATSDR was stating that PFAS chemicals "endanger human health at a far lower level than EPA has previously called safe.” EPA tries to explain they use a different method of evaluating. ATSDR uses a screening level and EPA uses a lifetime level “of safety.”

2018 The Guardian, reported on a EPA draft assessment said that "animal studies showing effects on the kidneys, liver, immune system and more from GenX," the chemicals manufactured by Chemours—a corporate spin-off of DuPont, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. GenX chemicals are used PFOA (C8) for manufacturing fluoropolymers such as Teflon, and in products such as firefighting foam, paints, food packaging, paints, outdoor fabrics, and cleaning products. (ibid.)

2018 JCI formally reported the discharges of PFAS to Wisconsin regarding the FTC sites, including the 2013 test data. EPA asked JCI to sample the groundwater at their Stanton Street Campus, as it was already undergoing a federal-lead, RCRA hazardous waste cleanup. PFAS was discovered at this ongoing cleanup as well. The state DNR took over the lead on the PFAS contamination while EPA remains the lead on the hazardous waste cleanup. JCI is conducting investigations on both the FTC and the Stanton Street Campus under DNR's NR 700 process [PDF]. The DNR is working with JCI to identify all areas where PFAS was disposed and where contamination has spread; requiring interim and long-term remedial actions to protect the surrounding community; and requesting action at other properties where PFAS may have impacted the environment. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/MarinetteFAQ.html

2018 In Minnesota, after discovery of contaminated drinking water and fish,

the state sought $5B in damages from 3M. The serious PFAS pollution was linked to them as a manufacturer of the compounds. The case was settled on the courthouse steps for $185M. https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-takes-first-step-to-shield-taxpayers-from-toxic-cleanup/article_e40ea686-11ff-5db3-af44-0d020f30a5da.html

2018 Washington state restricts use of AFFF for many non-federally mandated firefighting entities, banning its use in all training exercises, and even requiring disclosure of PFAS in firefighting gear. https://www.cleanwateraction.org/features/pfas-containing-firefighting-foams

2018 IPEN paper prepared for the POPs Review Committee (POPRC-14, September 2018) entitled Fluorine-Free Firefighting Foams (F3): Viable Alternatives to Fluorinated Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF), Independent Expert Panel Convened by IPEN, Stockholm Convention. https://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/IPEN_F3_Position_Paper_POPRC-14_12September2018d.pdf

2019 FAA issues National Part 139 CertAlert 19-01 on January 17th which stated: “Recently, there has been growing concern over the use and discharge of AFFF at airports. The molecular composition of specification MIL-PRF-24385 contains a chemical compound found to potentially contaminate drinking water. This concern led to the inclusion of a mandate within the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (enacted October 5, 2018), directing the FAA to stop requiring the use of fluorinated foam no later than three years from the date of enactment (October 4, 2021).” https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/certalerts/media/part-139-cert-alert-19-01-AFFF.pdf

2019 MIL-RF-24385F w/Int. Amendment 3 deleted requirements for a “fluorocarbon” surfactant permitting non-fluorinated film-forming foams to qualify for the MilSpec. “But need to consider milspec (sic) was established a long time ago.” (NAVSEA / SERDP AFFF Alternatives Summit, Art of the Possible, Nov 2019)

2019 The Stockholm Convention COP "decided to eliminate production and use of two important toxic POPs, PFOA and Dicofol" as recommended by the United Nation's Stockholm Convention's Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-15). (ibid.) IPEN Expert Panel issues, “The Global PFAS Problem: Fluorine-Free Alternatives as Solutions, Firefighting Foams and other sources – going fluorine-free,” Geneva, April-May 2019. The paper was prepared by thirteen independent experts in the fields of chemistry, environmental science, health, product formulation, remediation, engineering, fire safety, regulation and policy development. https://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/the_global_pfas_problem-v1_5_final_18_april.pdf

2019 The Fire Fighting Foam Coalition issued a “Response to the IPEN Paper on Fluorine-free Foams,” stating the IPEN paper “contains numerous inaccuracies, omissions and misleading statements.” https://b744dc51-ddb0-4c4a-897d-1466c1ae1265.filesusr.com/ugd/331cad_073fb784906d4e818d1323c1e10ee8c5.pdf

2019 New Hampshire filed a lawsuit against DuPont, 3M and other companies for their roles in the crisis in drinking water contamination in the US. The lawsuit claims that the polluted water is the result of the manufacture and use of perfluorinated chemicals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_related_to_per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances

2019 The CDC and ATSDR announced they had “established cooperative agreement with seven partners to study the human health effects of PFAS exposures through drinking water at locations across the nation. (ibid.)

2019 Wheeler, EPA administrator, refuses to designate PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law. He met with industry lobbyists and said that “Congressional efforts to clean up legacy PFAS pollution in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020” were “just not workable.” (ibid.)

2019 A lawsuit was filed in the Merrimack County Superior Court by 3M, Plymouth Water & Sewer District, and two others against the state Department of Environmental Services to prevent the new permitted levels for PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and PFHxS from being implemented. (ibid.)

2019 The United Nation's Stockholm Convention's Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-15) was held in Rome, on 4 October, with over 100 scientific experts representing many countries who "recommended that a group of hazardous chemicals"—"Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and PFHxS-related compounds"—be eliminated in order to better protect human health and the environment from its harmful impacts." PFHxS and PFHxS-related salts and compounds are a "group of industrial chemicals used widely in a number of consumer goods as a surfactant and sealant including in carpets, leather, clothing, textiles, fire-fighting foams, papermaking, printing inks and non-stick cookware. They are known to be harmful to human health including the nervous system, brain development, endocrine system and thyroid hormone." (ibid.)

2019 Judge Sargus Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled in favor of the plaintiffs against DuPont in the court case E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. C-8 Pers. Injury Litig., S.D. Ohio, No. 2:13-md-02433, 11/25/19. Judge Sargus blocked DuPont from defending against claims that were decided in the set of previous trials, involving residents of Ohio and West Virginia who say PFAS from E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.'s Washington Works manufacturing facility, which was located along the Ohio River, "contaminated their water, and caused cancer and other diseases.” The company had argued that their "release of PFOA amounted to negligence.” (ibid.)

2019 As of March, JCI voluntarily discontinued discharging AFFF-containing wastewater to the sanitary sewer systems of the cities of Marinette and Peshtigo. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Contaminants/MarinetteFAQ.htmlPresently, the contamination area measures seven square miles.

2019 The federal government conducts secret testing of populations in Alabama without notifying county or state health officials. [PFAS National Coalition Conference, June 2019, Boston, MA]

2019 In September, the third congressional hearing on ‘forever chemicals’ was focused on corporate accountability. “Industry studies that date as far back as the 1960s and ‘70s mentioned signs of toxicity, long before the federal government or the public became aware of the risks. Some of those documents came to light during Minnesota's lawsuit against 3M.”

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/09/10/third-congressional-hearing-on-forever-chemicals-to-focus-on-corporate-accountability

2019 “Rash of lawsuits intensify concerns of 3M’s liabilities over PFAS chemicals, Legal, cleanup expenses from chemicals could exceed $10 billion.” More lawsuits have been filed by New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont. Wolverine, a shoe company that used PFAS chemicals to waterproof its products has sued 3M. https://www.startribune.com/rash-of-lawsuits-intensify-concerns-of-3m-s-liabilities-over-pfas-chemicals/566423442/

2019 A judge approved a temporary injunction requested by 3M and several others who opposed the drinking water standards that went into effect in October for PFAS. https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20191126/judge-bars-nh-from-enforcing-tougher-pfas-water-standards

2019 During July, in downtown Madison, Wisconsin power station fires knock out service on hot day. These required the use of firefighting foam to extinguish. The city said the Madison Fire Department had to use a foam that is often associated with contaminants known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. It was not clear whether the foam actually contained PFAS, but it is being tested and steps were taken to lessen the spread of water and foam. (fox6now)

2019 In July, it was reported that the firefighting foam used to put out the Madison ATC fires did contain PFAS, according to new city information. Firefighters used a foam called FireAde 2000 and consulted the manufacturer, who said the foam is not linked to the chemicals commonly referred to as PFAS. The mayor’s office had sent information to News 3 Now stating the city used a foam more environmentally friendly. Additional information obtained showed the foam contained PFHxA. Sampling is being done for 34 PFAS compounds. (Channel 3000)

2019 PFAS spilled into Lake Monona after the MGE/ATC fires it was reported in September.

PFAS levels found at the site were not “low.” Tests at the site the day of the fire, after firefighting activities were completed, found up to 890 parts-per-trillion (ppt) of fifteen different PFAS compounds combined. Five days later, a total PFAS level of 5604 ppt was noted.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services recently proposed a groundwater standard of 20 ppt for two types of PFAS-PFOA and PFOS (combined). The level of these two compounds in the shallow groundwater under MGE was 55 ppt. The level of just one unregulated PFAS compound, 6:2 FTS, was 4900 ppt.

The manufacturer of the fire-fighting foam used, (“FireAde”) told the Madison Fire Department that it had only one type of “environmentally-friendly” PFAS in it-an assurance that was repeated in the city press release about the incident and the initial media cover on the incident. The PFAS the manufacturer said was in the foam, PFHxA, is not “environmentally friendly.” There are fewer toxicity and other risk studies on this compound, but that does not deem it environmentally friendly. In fact, an increasing number of studies are showing that the shorter chain PFAS compounds like PFHxA and 6:2 FTS used to replace PFOA and PFOS are as or more toxic than the longer chain compounds and are more mobile in the environment.

A wastewater treatment plan included some data from these samples from the tanks of 5385 ppt PFAS. (but this only includes five PFAS). (Midwest Environmental Justice Organization, Sept 25, 2019, https://mejo.us/2019/09/25/)

2019 In mid-December, the Madison Fire Department acquired and placed into service a brand of firefighting foam shown to be PFA-free, according to manufacturer claims and an independent test of the product. (NBC15 News)

2019 During October, the Wisconsin DNR tested actual firefighting foam samples for PFAS at Starkweather Creek in Madison. The location is just south of the Dane County Regional Airport and Truax Air National Guard Field. The foam test samples measured between 80,000 and 92,000 ppt while the surface water measurements tested at 400 ppt.

2020 Future MILSPEC changes, MIL-PRF-24385G will define new analytical procedure for PFOS/PFOA analysis and continue to drive PFOS and PFOA lower via new, lower maximum permissible limits made possible by new analytical procedure. Lack of film-forming alternative may drive the need for a new MILSPEC which may have different physical and chemical properties than legacy AFFF.

2020 In January, the district court judge in Mark Cuker’s case ruled that PFAS need to be regulated in order to bring the case in Pennsylvania. https://earthjustice.org/features/pfas-toxic-taps?sfns=mo

2020 EPA disclosed it "has multiple criminal investigations underway concerning PFAS-related pollution." The agency did not identify the entities being investigated and it could not be determined if DuPont is one of them. March 1, 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/how-dupont-may-avoid-paying-clean-toxic-forever-chemical-n1138766 3M and Chemours involved per EWG. https://www.ewg.org/release/epa-conducting-criminal-investigations-industries-handling-pfas-chemicals

2020 In March, 3M announced that it was, “is in the process of setting up an AFFF Stewardship pilot program that will support the proper disposal of the company’s legacy AFFF that its customers may still store.” https://news.3m.com/English/press-releases/press-releases-details/2020/3M-Announces-Progress-on-PFAS-Initiatives-and-Actions/default.aspx

2020 Firefighting Foam in Water Near Bases Gets Congressional Attention - Most persons in the military have either heard of or used firefighting foam. It is commonly known as either Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While you may remember the odor of AFFF and know that it will put out burning jet fuel, you may not know how hazardous it is in its own right. In fact, it is so bad that more than 180 countries have banned its production and use except in emergencies.

The U.S. military has used AFFF for more than 50 years but has been replacing the older, more hazardous stocks with a new military specification (MILSPEC) foam that experts say does not have as many bad health effects. The problem is that the stuff that was used over the decades managed to find its way into water supplies near military bases. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/15/firefighting-foam-water-near-bases-gets-congressional-attention.html

This List was Compiled by

Vicki Quint codepfas@gmail.com