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Perfluorinated compounds polluting drinking water, due to previous firefighting activities, has recently become a problem of public concern.
In order to assess whether the current use of firefighting foam could give rise to similar problems as those caused by previous use, there was a need for information on today's use of fire foam. This report presents a review of manufacturers and suppliers of firefighting foams available on the market today. The main focus is on the Swedish market, but the European market is also partly investigated. Information was collected through telephone interviews with producers, suppliers, distributors and professional users of fire-fighting foams. Foreign operators were contacted by email.
A small number of producers of firefighting foams are operating in Sweden today. Producers undertake that their products do not contain PFOS, but comply with Swedish law. Producers, distributors and users are well aware of the problems associated with PFOS in firefighting foams, but knowledge of other problems associated to similar types of perfluorinated compounds can be considered to be low.
None of the participants in this study imported products from outside the EU or the United States. However, it is possible the import situation is different in other parts of the EU market. Based on the information obtained from contacts made in this study, it looks like the use of foam has been limited, and is currently used only in small scale, both for practice and real fire, since permission is required from the municipality to use foam in exercises.
The data represents a sample of users and does not fully cover the Swedish market.
The purchase procedures of firefighting foam are strongly regulated for some users, while completely decentralized for others, resulting in a variety of foams used in Sweden.
Firefighting foams available on the Swedish market can contain a variety of additives; however the information on the active ingredients, such as fluorinated substances is often regarded as confidential. Producers see the in-depth content as a trade secret, and therefore do not seek patents on their products. They can, however, share the information provided a confidentiality agreement.
Substances quoted in the report are listed in footnote. Click on them to have access to their respective world regulatory maps.
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