Disinfection Potential of Fire Retardant Foams
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 12
Abstract
The spread of aquatic invasive species during wildland firefighting activities is a concern when water sources and equipment are transported across watersheds or into pristine areas. In the present study, we investigated the capability of wildland firefighting foams to inactivate organisms in bench-scale laboratory experiments. Specifically, Escherichia coli and coliphage were used to test the disinfection potential of foams against bacteria and virus species as an indicator of their efficacy against more resistant organisms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service firefighting foams tested in this study did not inactivate E. coli or coliphage during maximum exposure conditions that are feasible during firefighting activities, i.e., 10% (v:v) mix ratio and a 60-min contact time. We did not examine whether firefighting foams were effective at displacing bacterial and viral organisms when used solely as a surfactant on solid surfaces. We conclude that fire retardant foams are not effective disinfection agents and will not reduce the risk of spreading aquatic invasive viral species during firefighting activities.
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Acknowledgments
USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire Chemical Systems for financial support and Shirley K. Zylstra for project support.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 12 • December 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 20, 2014
Accepted: Mar 26, 2015
Published online: Jul 6, 2015
Published in print: Dec 1, 2015
Discussion open until: Dec 6, 2015
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