ABSTRACT
In the early 1970s, municipalities, the hydrocarbon processing industry, and the US military began using Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-based aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to efficiently extinguish hydrocarbon-based fires. Consequently, the US Air Force (USAF) Civil Engineer Center's Emerging Issues and Emerging Contaminants Program has since performed sampling at numerous fire training areas (FTAs) and confirmed that at all FTAs operable since 1970 that used AFFF for training purposes, select PFAS in soil and groundwater can still be identified. During fire training, equipment maintenance, and emergency response, AFFF was released directly to the environment, and it is suggested that decades of AFFF use is a significant source of environmental PFAS. Multivariate data analyses suggest that 3M AFFF is a significant contributing source of PFAS at the sites evaluated. Differences have been observed in detection frequencies and observed concentrations as a result of AFFF release volume. Furthermore, field validation of two fundamental conclusions of laboratory-based research to date has been provided.
