During the Pompier International Francophone, held in Ath on September 12, 2025, Alain Verhoyen, General Manager of ANPI, presented an overview of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and their impact on firefighting foams.
Nicknamed "forever chemicals," these compounds now represent a major challenge for health, the environment, and fire services. In 2025, the placing on the market of foams containing PFAS is almost entirely prohibited in Europe—and by 2030, portable fire extinguishers with PFAS will have disappeared in Belgium.
To support field stakeholders in this change, ANPI is publishing a comprehensive technical document:
- DTD 191 – Automatic foam extinguishing systems: successfully managing the fluorine transition.
- Order it now via our webshop.
PFAS: invisible but ubiquitous substancess
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are:
- chemical substances exclusively of human origin,
- encompassing more than 4,700 compounds (PFOA, PFOS, fluorotelomers, etc.),
- used in many products: non-stick coatings, textiles, packaging, lubricants, ...
- integrated into firefighting foams since the 1960s (AFFF, FP, FFFP).
Their industrial success is based on unique properties (stability, impermeability, chemical resistance). But this very stability makes them a threat: they persist in the environment, accumulate in the food chain, and are toxic to health (cancers, hormonal disruptions).
Large-scale pollution
Estimated global production: 230,000 to 320,000 tonnes/year
In Europe: approximately 75,000 tonnes/year, including 8,000 tonnes imported into Belgium
Firefighting foams represent less than 2% of the market, but their use leads to massive local pollution (airports, refineries, oil depots).
More than 100,000 PFAS-emitting sites identified in Europe.
Result: more than half of European rivers exceed the regulatory thresholds for PFOS.
Regulatory framework and timeline
European regulations are gradually becoming stricter:
- 2009: Ban on PFOS
- 2020: Restriction of PFOA
- 2025: Near-total ban on placing PFAS foams on the market
- 2030: Disappearance of portable PFAS fire extinguishers in Belgium
A Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1399 provides for some exemptions for high-risk sites (Seveso sites, airports, refineries), but with an obligation for a substitution plan.
The transition to fluorine-free (F3) foams
Given this situation, the solution involves replacing foams containing PFAS with F3 (Fluorine Free Foam). This entails:
- Inventorying contaminated stocks and equipment
- Decontaminating systems (tanks, trucks, pipework, proportioners, etc.)
- Replacing porous parts (seals, hoses, membranes)
- Collecting and treating all effluents as hazardous waste
- Training personnel in these new practices
A precise decontamination protocol was presented, combining hot water rinsing, glycol-based detergent cycles, analytical controls, and "rebound" monitoring (checking that no PFAS reappears after commissioning with F3 foams).
Portable fire extinguishers: a concrete issue in Belgium
By 2030: Total removal of all appliances still in service
Every establishment must plan its replacement and gradually switch to PFAS-free models
ANPI will support this transition via:
- BENOR – ANPI certification for compliant extinguishers
- Updated lists of withdrawn or authorized models on www.anpi.be
- Awareness and information campaigns (newsletter, ANPI Magazine)
A shared responsibility
The progressive phasing out of PFAS is both a regulatory obligation and a societal responsibility.
Even though PFAS foams represent only a marginal share of the market, they constitute a disproportionate risk.
The transition to fluorine-free foams is therefore urgent, unavoidable, and collective.
Firefighters, safety managers, maintenance providers, or authorities: everyone must prepare their action plan today.
To go further
ANPI provides the technical document DTD 191 – automatic foam extinguishing Systems: successfully managing the fluorine transition.
Order your copy in our webshop
Contact: imc@anpi.be
