You can clean the “forever chemicals” of PFAS from storage tanks and firefighting gear, but just like a nuclear radiation cleanup, now you’ve got tanks and piles of contaminated residue with no place to go.
Denver International Airport is handing over that problem to the state of Colorado’s hazardous waste experts, after spending about $3 million of airport money to flush out tanks and clean gear previously used to handle PFAS-laden firefighting foam. DIA is touting its PFAS flush as a major step in protecting firefighters from exposure to the ubiquitous water resistant toxins, which can increase the risks of cancers, pregnancy issues and developmental delays in children.
Runoff of PFAS-laden stormwater from runways, Air Force bases and firefighting training centers has also contaminated multiple community water sources in Colorado and in other states.
“This is a part of our bigger sustainability strategy at the airport,” said Scott Morrissey, DIA’s senior vice president of sustainability. “We’re all very excited that, having been working on this for the better part of five or six years, that we’re now to the point that we’re removing those final sources of PFAS at the airport.”
The Forever Problem
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DIA participated in a state takeback program for older firefighting foam and supplies that were made with variants of PFAS that helped with fire suppression. There are now Department of Defense-approved alternatives considered adequate for firefighting without the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which have also been used for decades in everything from stain-resistant carpet to waterproof clothing to toothbrush handles.
“We had made the commitment to invest in the new foam,” Morrissey said. “It was an additional expense, but we felt like it was a prudent investment to make sure that, since we were going to the effort of putting in a fluorine-free foam into the rigs, that we did everything we possibly could to remove the existing PFAs from the rigs that have been in use for many years.”
A United Airlines Boeing 777-200 taxis past parked cars on Sunday Jan. 5, 2025 at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado. The plane, with tail number N769UA, was delivered to United in 1995. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)The problem with PFAS cleanup, experts like Morrissey said, is that the same strong carbon-fluorine bond that makes the chemicals so effective in smothering oil-based fires also makes the PFAS stick stubbornly to any tanks or equipment that handle it.
Extremely hot water and an agent called PerfluorAd can scour the tanks effectively. “From the first rinse that took place after the foam was removed to the last rinse, we were able to remove 98 to 99% of the remaining PFAS,” Morrissey said.
Now DIA has to store the washed-out residue until Colorado hazardous waste officials finish a procurement process for handling the foam takebacks. “I don’t want to speak for the state,” Morrissey said.
The state also isn’t quite ready to fully address the tricky question of a forever solution for forever foam.
“Recently, we solicited requests for proposals from qualified vendors to collect, transport, and safely dispose of, or destroy, firefighting foam containing PFAS from entities participating in the takeback program. We have evaluated the proposals and anticipate awarding a vendor contract soon,” Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment water quality control spokesperson Erin Garcia said.
The state declined to go into detail about possible disposable methods before choosing a vendor, though officials acknowledged the material might go out of state for treatment. There are only a few methods in use around the nation, as thousands of military units, airports, firefighting centers, water treatment agencies and more struggle to cope with the costs and technical challenges of cleaning up PFAS.
One method is incineration, but as with burning any hazardous waste, there must be meticulous emissions control to keep toxins contained. Maine is among the states under fire for shipping PFAS and cleanup residue out of state to incinerators.
Another controversial method involves injecting the waste into deep wells going below the levels of underground drinking water. The only other current option appears to be a hazardous waste landfill, although the EPA’s PFAS disposal guide warns “However, for all landfill types, new information shows landfills release more PFAS to the environment than previously thought in 2020.”
“Incineration and landfilling are common methods, but both have limitations when it comes to PFAS,” Garcia said. “That’s why we’re also looking into newer technologies that show real promise for safely destroying PFAS, especially in firefighting foam.” The alternate technologies listed by the state include EPA research into electrochemical oxidization, and destruction using “supercritical” water, which is heated to 705 degrees and kept under intense pressure.
The state’s challenge on PFAS disposal is only growing.
“So far,” Garcia said, “69 fire departments have taken almost 20,000 gallons of firefighting foam containing PFAS out of service. We are partnering with the Colorado Department of Transportation Aeronautics to expand the takeback program and support our commercial service airports.”
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