TOXIC fire-fighting foam phased out by fire brigades years ago because of health concerns has drifted into Darwin suburbs after an electrical fault at a defence base.
The US-made foam was emitted yesterday by an automatic fire suppression system at the Darwin RAAF base and blew into nearby suburbs, authorities said.
A Northern Territory defence spokeswoman identified the foam as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), which is classed as “a medium-toxicity irritant.”
The American company 3M stopped manufacturing AFFF in 2000 following environmental testing, although it continued to sell off existing stocks.
The use of AFFF at the Darwin base was confirmed by Kelly Cooper, the Defence Regional Manager of Public Affairs NT.
Firefighters in the Northern Territory stopped using the product, which contains the hazardous chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), in late 2003.
Clumps of AFFF – looking like small white clouds – were spotted floating over Darwin and into backyards after it was used at the RAAF base at 8.45am (CST) yesterday.
An automatic fire suppression system at a hangar in the base had been activated due to an electrical fault, Ms Cooper said in a statement.
“As part of the clean-up activities it appears some of the foam may have blown off the RAAF Base into surrounding suburbs,” Ms Cooper said.
An initial statement described the substance as “a low-toxicity irritant, and when mixed appropriately under normal circumstances is benign”.
But the advice was amended a few hours later, indicating a higher level of danger.
“The product is a medium toxicity irritant,” an updated statement said.
“Two of the components of the AFFF are persistent pollutants with significant marine and aquatic effects.”
Andrew Marmion, OHS coordinator from the Victorian branch of the United Firefighters Union (UFU), said concerns over the product’s safety were well known.
Firefighters in Victoria stopped using the foam in 2006, despite expensive disposal costs.
“It has been off the American market for longer than in Australia, but the problem has been there were huge quantities of it and no way of getting rid of it,” Mr Marmion said.
“It was a lot more harmful to the environment than we realised … when we put the stuff on a fire, it would run off into water tables and end up in water catchments and it doesn’t break down.
“It just stays there and will float on the water, affecting the stability of the water. It’s quite serious.”
Mr Marmion said the foam could cause dermatitis in people and was also an eye irritant.
He said a waste disposal company was hired in Victoria to get rid of the product soon after its dangers were realised.
“If they (the defence department) want to get rid of it it can be done but of course there is a cost fact involved,” he said.
Darwin firefighter Steve Osborne said PFOS was “showing up” in environmental tests when the NT fire authorities decided to stop using it five years ago.
“The way they described it, it’s like a chemical that never breaks down, it’s indestructible…. there were questions about what it was doing to the food chain.”
Further comment was being sought from the defence department.
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