AFFF disposal

[LarryWinkelman]

Doing safety checks on a new-to-me car, only to discover that the AFFF bottle seal has been broken, most likely due to being left in the car over the winter (or many winters?). It seems as though 1/3 of the liquid is gone, although I haven't removed the top (and don't really plan to). New FE-36 system ordered... but does anyone know where one can dispose of the AFFF liquid and old bottle? I am pretty sure it's considered a hazard by the EPA, so the drain or my lawn is not a good choice. My local recycling center doesn't take extinguishers. I'm in SE Michigan, if anyone know of something nearby, or at any of the GLDiv tracks.

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***Thanks for the good suggestions below. The system was made by FireCharger, who is no longer in business. If anyone has a MSDS for their AFFF solution, please send or post. I've reached out to MI-EGLE, my local recycling/hazardous waste organization, and a vendor who used to sell the systems. Will post an update if/when I find something out. ***

****Received a response from the vendor I contacted:
"AFFF does contain PFAS chemicals in very low concentrations. This is a concern, but only in the volumes that firefighters use (i.e., thousands of gallons at a time). In the concentrations and volumes that racing systems use (less than a gallon, diluted to a 3% to 5% concentration), AFFF is considered environmentally-friendly with no impact on soil biota. If you are only emptying one system, you can literally water your lawn with it. The manufacturers do recommend against dumping it directly in a lake or stream. Spreading it on the soil away from a body of water gives the soil a chance to try to break down or absorb the chemicals before they get into the aquifer.

On the other hand, we believe that we dispose of enough AFFF (several hundred gallons in a busy year) that our refilling station could have an impact. We recently stopped dumping it and are undertaking a more environmentally-friendly disposal program.

When this issue came to the attention of the owners a few months ago, I actually compared the SDS for a few brands of AFFF (OMP, SPA, and Lifeline) with the SDS for Dawn dishwashing liquid. Somehow the stuff that’s intended to be rinsed down the drain by millions of consumers every day, can list their PFAS concentration as “proprietary” and the environmental impact as “unknown”… while AFFF, changed every 2 years by maybe several thousand racers, has to list its concentration, 20-year soil impact, 48-hour fish toxicity... Oh, and interestingly, Dawn also lists sulfuric acid and ethanol in its ingredients. I’m going to start washing my dishes with AFFF instead!

One last note: Your new FE-36 system is one of the most environmentally-friendly options available, even better than AFFF. FE-36 will knock down a fire with a lower concentration than a CO2 extinguisher, and FE-36 will break down quickly when exposed to UV – which CO2 (a known greenhouse gas) will not do. In other words, according to DuPont, FE-36 is even better for the environment than naturally-occurring carbon dioxide." ****

[Mike B]

Larry,
My first thought is the local Safety Clean but their charge may be higher than most. You could also check with a local welding supplier like Airgas. Of course, the first department should also know...

What car did you buy?

[Steve Demeter]

I would be surprised if AFF is considered hazardous since it is mainly water and soap. Unless it is the stuff the military and large airports use that contains the "forever chemicals".

I would check with my local county waste department at least the one here has periodic haz waste disposal days where they would take stuff like that.

[DanW]

Disposal regulation varies by state. I looked up the SDS for certain brands for hazards.

We used to literally wade through it and it would soak through our turnouts during training evolutions for flammable liquid firefighting when I worked in the refinery. Oh well...

[Lynn]

Contact https://www.michigan.gov/egle for information on the disposal of AFFF. Most older AFFF liquids contain long chain molecules which have Fluorine. These molecules do not break down. Since 2002 most, but not all AFFF liquids, use shorter molecules which do break down, but still have Fluorine in them. They are less hazardous to the environment but still require proper disposal.

[EYERACE]

Take it to your local fire station. If they won't take it, they'll give you a good clue what to do with it.

[Chris Livengood]

Set your garage on fire, attempt to use the old AFFF despite the fire being of the wrong type for that extinguisher, then collect the insurance money.

- Your local volunteer fireman

Sure, it's an illegal, dangerous, and convoluted scheme, but at least that worthless 93 Van Diemen is finally returning on the $27k of Hoosiers it burnt up over the years.