The U.S. military has destroyed its last supplies of toxic firefighting foam at installations in Japan, according to the Tokyo-based command. The aqueous firefighting foam stored at Yokota and two installations on Okinawa was incinerated at licensed disposal facilities in Japan, U.S. Forces Japan announced in a statement Thursday.
Congress in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act gave the Department of Defense an Oct. 1 deadline to stop using the foam to fight fires. That deadline was extended to Oct. 1, 2025, according to the USFJ statement on its website.
“The US installations in Japan have met the deadline for legacy [aqueous firefighting foam] replacement,” the statement said. The foam contains PFAS, a class of chemicals linked to an increased risk of certain tumors of the liver, testicles, breasts and pancreas, according to the American Cancer Society. The Environmental Protection Agency has said that no level of PFAS is safe in drinking water.
PFAS and its components, PFOS and PFOA, are also found in a wide variety of consumer products, including nonstick cookware and stain-resistant clothing and fabrics. The synthetic compounds, sometimes called “forever chemicals,” accumulate in the body over time, according to the EPA.
The U.S. disposed of the remaining foam, which was no longer used for fighting fires, at Yokota, an airlift hub and USFJ’s headquarters in western Tokyo; and on Okinawa at Kadena Air Base and an Army petroleum, oil and lubricants depot, according to USFJ.
Read the full story here.
