How AFFF Works and Why It Contains PFAS
AFFF came out of a 1960s collaboration between 3M and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Spray it on burning fuel and the foam forms a thin layer that cuts off oxygen and prevents re-ignition. That film-forming magic? The magic ingredient? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – man-made chemicals linked by carbon-fluorine bonds.
You’re looking at some of the strongest chemical bonds that exist in nature. These chemicals are precisely why the foam works so well on fires. And those same features mean PFAS never break down once they’re in soil, groundwater, or inside you. The Environmental Working Group found AFFF contamination at hundreds of sites nationwide, with poisoned drinking water turning up miles away from where anyone actually sprayed the stuff.
Who made this stuff? 3M produced PFOS-based formulations until 2002. Tyco Fire Products/Chemguard (now Johnson Controls), National Foam, Kidde-Fenwal, and Buckeye Fire Equipment all manufactured AFFF as well. Every one of them faces claims in the ongoing federal litigation.
Who Was Exposed: Military and Civilian Settings
The Department of Defense required AFFF at installations worldwide under military specification MIL-F-24385. DoD PFAS Task Force reports confirm contamination at Air Force bases, naval shipyards, Army fuel depots, and Marine Corps training grounds. Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire, and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina are among the most heavily documented cases.
And this wasn’t just about emergencies. Routine training drills used live AFFF, sometimes on a weekly basis. Military fire crews had the worst exposure, but base workers and local residents spent years drinking poisoned water without anyone bothering to warn them.
Civilian firefighters got hit just as hard. Municipal and industrial departments used AFFF at burn pits and training facilities, often at the same locations over and over. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has publicly acknowledged elevated cancer rates among its members, pointing to PFAS exposure as a contributing factor. The Federal Aviation Administration also mandated AFFF at certified commercial airports. That spread contamination into surrounding communities too.
[INTERNAL_LINK: PFAS Health Effects: 8 Conditions Now Linked to Forever Chemicals]