Contamination from historic use of PFAS-containing AFFF

Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) is a highly efficient type of fire suppressant agent, but historically, it can contain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). These compounds are of concern because studies have indicated that PFAS, including PFOS and PFOA, pose potential threats to human health. At any site where PFAS-containing AFFF have been used historically, there is a potential for an exposure pathway to humans with associated potential health risks. To date, using traditional ways of cleaning up groundwater contaminated with PFAS has proven difficult and very expensive, but a low-cost, long-term solution is now available. An injection of PlumeStop turns the subsurface into a purifying filter. This technology:

  • Rapidly removes offsite liability for PFAS
  • Avoids the large costs of pump and treat systems
  • Provides certainty compared to costly ongoing monitoring

PFAS treatment with PlumeStop – How it works

This video animation below explains how PlumeStop can stop PFAS from spreading across a site boundary, providing a long-lasting and cost-effective solution to eliminate potential environmental and human health risks.

PlumeStop example site

The video below presents a case study of the first ever in situ treatment of PFAS on a former industrial furniture manufacturing facility on which a fire fighting training area was co-located.

IN SITU Remediation Ltd used PlumeStop on the impacted site in Canada, rapidly removing the PFAS contamination from the groundwater through sorption. The PFAS concentrations have since remained at non-detect for over 15 months, with conservative third party modelling by Grant Carey estimating that the longevity of the PlumeStop treatment will be 100 years or more. Ongoing validation testing, now over an 18-month period, has shown that the PFAS concentrations have been rapidly reduced and maintained at below detection limits.

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