The NSW Government has moved to ban the use of PFAS firefighting foam, except in exceptional or catastrophic circumstances.
The ban will cover PFAS foams’ use for training and demonstration purposes and remove the PFAS foams in fire extinguishers from sale.
While there are exceptions to the new restrictions, they will be staged and introduced over a period of almost two years to allow for users requiring firefighting equipment to find alternative solutions or for eligible users to apply for exemptions.
PFAS have been used extensively in NSW and are highly effective in extinguishing fires, particularly in catastrophic circumstances, and have commonly been used for training purposes.
However, PFAS have contributed to significant contamination in the NSW environment. The new regulations seek to minimise their effect upon the environment while balancing the need to utilise their effectiveness in certain circumstances.