Exposure to PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, can introduce a myriad of human health impacts, such as decreased fertility, increased cancer risk and immune system effects, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
PFAS earned their nickname because they don’t break down naturally, meaning they can persist in the environment for a very long time.
This risk is part of the reason the state will be expanding a program that’s been taking out one of the key sources of these chemicals from communities, one gallon at a time.
13,500 gallons destroyed, with more to go
The AFFF Takeback Program aims to capture and destroy the state’s stores of Aqueous film forming foam, also referred to as AFFF. Ohio was the first state to carry out such an initiative, which started in 2024. After the success of the first phase, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency now has an additional $13 million to reduce the tens of thousands of gallons of the stockpiles of this foam still found across the state.
"Until we launched this program, fire departments in Ohio had no way to safely get rid of this foam, and we didn't have an accounting of how much foam could still be out there. Now we know that there is a lot," said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in a statement.
"We're expanding the AFFF Takeback Program to help more local fire departments responsibly dispose of these dangerous PFAS chemicals to protect the public, the environment, and the firefighters who risk their lives for the safety of others."
Earlier this month, Revive Environmental, the environmental services firm contracting with the state of Ohio to help carry out the program, announced it destroyed 13,500 gallons of AFFF from 118 fire departments.
'It was the only type of foam that was around'
AFFF had been in use since the 1960s. The PFAS found in the foam creates a heat resistant film, making it highly effective against liquid- or oil-based fires.
Ohio State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon, who’d been firefighting for more than 40 years, said he’d seen it in use for a long time.
“When I became a young firefighter in the early '80s, it was the only type of foam that was around,” Reardon said. “So that's what everybody had. Over time, as cancer research became better, we looked at chemicals differently now than we did 20 or 40 some years ago.”
The state fire marshal’s office supported the Ohio EPA with advising and outreach for the program.
The first phase was funded with $3 million from settlement money the state received from Monsanto. But they knew they were limited in the volume of foam they could collect and destroy for the first phase, Ohio EPA Director John Logue said.
Logue estimates there’s at least 60,000 gallons across the state still, based on earlier registration estimates.
“We are asking for folks to re-register in the event that they may have reduced their stocks, either having it destroyed on their own, or there are some cases it may have been used while actually fighting some fires,” Logue said. “So we're just trying to get a good handle as close as we can of what's still out there.”
Another round
In April, the Ohio EPA announced the state of Ohio is receiving $65 million from a settlement with the chemicals company DuPont for its PFAS contamination. The settlement included a dedicated pot of money to go towards the takeback effort, according to Logue.
“So that is just over $13 million that we have from that settlement with DuPont, and Governor DeWine then wanted us to turn around very quickly and get the next round going," Logue said.
This time around, the program will also make emergency management agencies and airports eligible for foam registration and destruction. The deadline for registration is Sept. 4. The link to register can be found on the Ohio EPA’s website.
Logue said they can’t guarantee they’ll destroy everything in this next round.
“But we are expecting we should be able to significantly reduce the overall amount of AFFF in the state of Ohio. So if we can get rid of all of it we will certainly make every effort to do so,” he said.
Disposing of it safely is often cost prohibitive for fire departments, Reardon said. This program means a lot to them.
“So the fact that the (Ohio) EPA stepped forward with the funding to make this program happen, it has helped jurisdictions all over the state make their fire stations a little bit safer, and at the same time, help the community to get this properly destroyed,” Reardon said.
Logue said the state put out a request for proposals for contractors who can carry out the goals of the takeback program. Logue said the agency hopes to begin the next phase of collection by November.
According to a statement from Revive, the company will prepare a proposal to contract with the state again to support the second phase of the program.
