Run-off created after
fighting a fire is a major concern of
municipalities. Many have monitors on the
scene during and after a fire to test the
amount of contaminants carried off by the
firefighting water used to extinguish the
fire.
Wastewater systems have
been severely compromised and failed due to
the use of outdated foams such as AFFF
(Aqueous Film Forming Foams).
AFFF has been used
extensively in fighting fires since they were
first developed in the 1960's to combat
volatile hydrocarbon based fires that pooled
on the water's surface. It wasn't until
wastewater systems began failing that testing
on the environmental consequences of AFFF
commenced.
Most of the fire
suppressants in use today, especially AFFF,
are made with fluorochemical surfactants,
(hereinafter referred to as
fluorosurfactants).
Perfluorooctyl sulfates
(PFOS) and Perfluorooctylbetaines that can
oxidize to Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
As an unintended
consequence, because neither PFOA or PFOS
naturally degrade, there have been many cases
of groundwater contamination and failure of
waste water treatment facilities. Furthermore,
these fluorosurfactants
have been shown to be persistent
in the environment and bio-accumulative in many
species.
Because of this, these
aqueous, film forming foams have been under
intensive investigation by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for their role
in damaging valuable natural resources.
Thankfully, technology
has come to the rescue with the invention of
Novacool UEF, an environmentally friendly
firefighting foam that is completely
biodegradable.
Novacool has been found to be non-toxic and
exceeds EPA guidelines.
Novacool has been tested by water districts
throughout the U.S. Novacool contains no EPA
or Dept. of Transportation (DOT) reportable
chemicals and contains no
nonylphenolethoxylates (NPEʼs) or glycol
ethers.
Novacool replaces AFFF
and ozone depleting halon gases, eliminating
the release of toxic hydrofluoric acid and
fluorocarbons that had been damaging the
environment.
Novacool, with its rapid
extinguishment and reduced water usage
minimizes water damage and the resulting water
pollution that large scale water usage can
create. Less erosion is another important
benefit of using Novacool. Less water used
means less run-off to cause erosion.
This also translates
into less damage to the property owner,
quicker clean-up time by the fire departments
and less impact on our natural resources.
Novacool UEF is applied at the rate of 0.4%
for Classes A, D & K fires and 0.5% for
Class B fires. This means that at a minimum,
compared to 3% solutions, Novacool requires
less than 15% of concentrate and at 6%,
requires about 7% concentrate of its
competition.
Fire Departments are
discovering that, even at a higher per gallon
cost, Novacool is a much cheaper solution to
their firefighting foam requirements.
Novacool has been tested by independent, 3rd
party labs in Corvallis, Oregon, Dallas, Texas
and others for groundwater contaminants.
Because Novacool does not contain PFOA or
PFOS, NPE's, or glycol ethers, Novacool has
been proven to not create toxic build up in
the environment or to pollute groundwater.
Novacool exceeds EPA guidelines.
Not only is Novacool a more effective fire
extinguishing agent, it is also more user
friendly. One foam that works on Classes A, B,
D and K fires.
NovaCOOL UEF is Compatibile with other Firefighting Foams
Foam Concentrate required to Treat 1,000 Gallons of Water Compared to Other Foams and Wetting Agents
