What are the components of AFFF?
Aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) are water-based and frequently contain hydrocarbon-based surfactant such as sodium alkyl sulfate, and fluorosurfactant, such as fluorotelomers, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).
What is the difference between AFFF and AR AFFF?
AR-ARFF should be used at 3 percent on non-alcohol fires and 6 percent on ethanol fires. AFFF foam will not work well on fires involving alcohol because water is miscible in alcohol meaning it absorbs it. With regular AFFF foam, it can be metered at 1 percent, 3 percent or 6 percent.
What kind of foam is AFFF?
AFFF is a Class B foam that creates a vapor suppressing film between the foam bubbles and the fuel surface. It is very effective on spill fires. It is good to great at sealing flammable vapors into liquid fuel spills.
What is the meaning of AFFF foam?
Aqueous film forming foam
Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) is a highly efficient type of fire suppressant agent, used by itself to attack flammable liquid pool fires, and in conjunction with Halon 1301 to attack fires in Navy vessel machinery spaces.
What PFAS is in AFFF?
PFAS, PFOS, and PFOA Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of human-made chemicals that have been widely used in industry and consumer products since the 1950s. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a long-chain PFAS found in older stocks of AFFF and as a breakdown product of precursor compounds.
What foam do firefighters use?
Firefighters use aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to help extinguish difficult-to-fight fires, particularly fires that involve petroleum or other flammable liquids ‚ known as Class B fires. However, not all firefighting foams are classified as AFFF.
What is Class B fire fighting foam?
Class B firefighting foams are commercial surfactant solutions that have been (and continue to be) stored and used for fire suppression, fire training, and flammable vapor suppression at military installations and civilian facilities and airports, well as at petroleum refineries and bulk storage facilities, and …
What is the foam that firefighters use?
aqueous film-forming foam
Firefighters use aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to help extinguish difficult-to-fight fires, particularly fires that involve petroleum or other flammable liquids ‚ known as Class B fires.
What firefighting foam has PFAS?
The vast majority of Class B firefighting foam that is currently in stock or service in the United States is AFFF or AR-AFFF. All AFFF products contain PFAS. This applies to foams used in the past and those being sold today.
What does AFFF stand for?
Aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF, is a fire suppressant used to fight flammable liquid fires. Firefighting training facilities and vehicles, ships and shore facilities and military facilities are some of the places AFFF is used. Toxic chemicals in some AFFF solutions may increase the risk of serious health problems, including cancer.
What does AFFF stand for in relation to fire fighting?
What does AFFF stand for in construction?
Work with your doctor to create a comprehensive care plan. Many of the cancers associated with AFFF exposure show few signs in their early stages.
Is AFFF still being used?
were used in the manufacture of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), which is used to extinguish liquid hydrocarbon fires (ASTSWMO 2015; EPA 2016f; DoD SERDP 2014; Place and Field 2012). Manufacturers of AFFF in the United States now use PFASs other than PFOS; however, existing stocks of PFOS-based AFFF remain in use.