The South Australian Environment Protection Authority has released a consultation report on the proposed draft amendment to ban the use of fire-fighting foams containing perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS).
PFAS are manufactured chemicals that have been used in a range of products, including in fire-fighting foams, pesticides and stain repellents, and persist in the environment for long periods of time. The national phase-out of aqueous fire-fighting foams containing two specific types of PFAS, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), has been taking place since the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme recommended the phase-out in 2002.
In February 2017, the SA Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation announced his intention to develop legislation to ban the use of the environmentally harmful foams in South Australia. A draft amendment was developed with public consultation in April to June 2017.
Following this consultation process, amendments have been made to the draft policy. The recommended changes to the draft policy are:
- Ban use of all fluorinated fire-fighting foams for all applications;
- Provide for a timeframe of two years for compliance for non-handheld applications;
- Provide for the ban to commence for handheld/portable upon re-charge/re-fill or within two years of commencement of the policy, whichever is earlier;
- Include provision to address PFAS contamination in existing equipment; and
- Require certification of fluorine concentrations in foam by suppliers.
