U.S. fire departments both large and small face an emerging challenge from efforts to regulate exposure to a toxic family of chemicals by eliminating the use of PFAS-enabled firefighting foam, Bloomberg Law reports. The Pentagon recently released technical requirements for substitutes to PFAS-based aqueous film-forming foam. Use of the foam, known as AFFF, has been linked to a potential elevated risk of cancer, Bloomberg writes.

Partner H. Todd Bullard, a member of our EMS and Fire Protection Providers and Business and Commercial Litigation teams, told Bloomberg Law that fire departments, particularly small ones, could encounter uncertainties over liability and cost in the switch to the new foam. The fire departments will be looking for guidance on how to handle the transition, safely and cost effectively. Todd practices out of our Rochester office

Click to read more in reporter Pat Rizzuto’s article, “PFAS Foam Replacement Challenges Nation’s Fire Departments.”