Bill Sent to Michigan Governor Requires Reports on Firefighting Foam

June 25, 2020

Fire departments that use a foam containing a group of chemicals known as PFAS would be required to report its use within 48 hours of ending a fire under legislation sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The bill won unanimous approval from the Michigan House on June 23.

It would mandate that fire chiefs report incidents in which PFAS-containing firefighting foams are used to Michigan’s pollution emergency alert system. The state environmental department would have to accept the foam concentrate free of charge and properly dispose of it — contingent on the Legislature allocating money to cover program costs.

PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are described as forever chemicals because some don’t degrade naturally and are believed capable of lingering indefinitely in the environment. The chemicals have increasingly turned up in public water supplies and private wells around the country.

Topics Michigan

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