Florida bans cancer-linked firefighting foams with new law takes effect next week

TAMPA, Fla. - A new state law taking effect next Wednesday will ban fire departments across Florida from using traditional firefighting foam made with toxic "forever chemicals," or PFAS, due to their direct link to cancer.

Florida foam ban timeline

What we know:

Starting on Wednesday, July 1, emergency agencies across the state are prohibited from using PFAS-containing firefighting foam for training or teaching exercises. 

The historical industry standard, known as AFFF or aqueous film-forming foam, effectively smothers fuel-based fires but relies on dangerous chemicals that harm both first responders and the surrounding environment. Those chemicals are known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, and they don’t break down in the environment or in the human body.

Florida's strict new mandate outlaws the purchase or sale of PFAS foam by July 2027, with a total ban on its use coming by July 2029. Tampa Fire Rescue has been using a PFAS-free foam for a few years, what they call "green foam."

"It looks just kind of like a dish soap. So, this mixes with the water and creates bubbles on the top which creates a blanket that keeps the vapors from escaping because it’s the vapors that actually burn," said Tampa Fire Rescue Chief of Special Operations Robert Collins.

Disposing of toxic stockpiles

What we don't know:

State officials have not finalized the specific logistics regarding how the existing chemical reserves will be collected and permanently eliminated.

According to the new state law, certain entities must submit aqueous film-forming foam inventories and disposal plans to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection beginning July 1, 2027. Local fire authorities noted that gathering the old foam is a highly detailed, complicated process.

Protecting local first responders

Why you should care:

The push to eradicate these hazardous materials follows years of health studies tracking elevated cancer rates among emergency personnel. Tampa Fire Rescue said its switch to their green foam took six to eight years, with their firefighting apparatuses fully converted to PFAS-free foam in the last three years.

"We had multiple firefighters who’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Anything that we can do to eradicate cancer in the fire service, we’re going to do," said Collins. "Tampa has a proactive cancer mitigation policy when it comes to firefighting and that includes the foam, that includes the gear. That includes our rehab and our contamination procedures."

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