Foam containing 'forever chemicals' used against plant fire

Foam containing 'forever chemicals' used against plant fire

SeattlePI.com

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A company hired to help extinguish a fire that gutted a northern Illinois chemical plant this week used foam containing toxic compounds that have tainted surface waters and groundwater across the U.S., officials said Thursday.

The private contractor sprayed the foam for about three hours Tuesday at the Chemtool Inc. factory, despite concerns raised by government regulators the previous day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told The Associated Press.

The foam was made with chemicals belonging to a group known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are used in a wide variety of industrial and household products, EPA said. They have been linked to numerous health problems including cancer and damage to organs including the liver, kidneys and thyroid gland.

Foams containing PFAS typically are used to extinguish highly flammable or combustible fires involving gas tankers and oil refineries, EPA said in a statement. The company switched to another type of foam that didn't have PFAS after regulators intervened, the federal agency said.

No contamination of groundwater or the nearby Rock River with the compounds has been detected but tests are underway, the Illinois EPA said in a separate statement to AP.

“We will be fully transparent with the public and share test results and additional guidance as soon as we are able to do so,” the state agency said.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of explosions Monday that tore through the plant near Rockton, near the Wisconsin state line, prompting evacuation of about 1,000 residents within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius of the plant.

Chemtool, which manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids, hired U.S. Fire Pump to help extinguish the fire. The Louisiana-based company pumps high...

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