NY bans incineration disposal of toxic firefighting foam

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York has banned the disposal of toxic firefighting foam by incineration in certain cities after environmental groups raised concerns about an Albany-area firm that had incinerated foam for two years under a Department of Defense contract.

The law signed Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, was designed to prevent the Norlite hazardous waste incinerator in Cohoes from resuming the burning of foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, chemicals known collectively as PFAS.

The Department of Environmental Conservation ordered Norlite to cease disposal of the material in 2019, and the city of Cohoes enacted a one-year moratorium on PFAS incineration last April. The company said it hasn't processed the material since December 2019 and would not do so unless testing supported by the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed thermal destruction was the safest and most effective means of disposal.

But local residents, elected officials and environmental groups sought a permanent ban after learning the facility has incinerated more than 2 million pounds of foam through contracts with the Pentagon that have since been canceled. The company had also incinerated foam shipped from firehouses across the East Coast as the material is being phased out due to concerns over possible toxicity.

“This establishes a national precedent that other states should follow,” Judith Enck, former Region 2 administrator for the EPA, said in a statement.

PFAS are human-made chemicals that research suggests can cause health problems in humans. The chemicals have been used for decades in a range of products, including firefighting foam and stain-resistant sprays. They are known as “forever chemicals” because of their longevity in the environment and resistance to destruction.

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