Senate votes to restrict sale of firefighting foam

OLYMPIA — The state Senate passed legislation Saturday to sharply restrict the sale of a class of firefighting foams linked to water pollution.

State Senate Bill 6413, approved 39-8, would largely prohibit — as of 2020 — the sale of firefighting foams containing polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl chemicals — known as PFAS. Those chemicals have been in found in some drinking-water wells on Whidbey Island, Issaquah, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Airway Heights near Fairchild Air Force Base.

“Hopefully, with this bill passing, we will limit future contamination,” said Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, a Sequim Democrat who sponsored the bill.

If the bill passes both chambers, Washington would become the first state to restrict the sale of firefighting foams with PFAS, said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal of Toxic-Free Future, a group that advocated for the bill.

The bill now heads to the House, where a companion bill passed out of committee.

The foams are used for fighting oil-based fires, but alternative foams without the chemicals also are available.

PFAS raises health concerns that include elevated risks for kidney and testicular cancers. The chemical has caused concern among firefighters, who have higher rates of cancer than the overall U.S. population, according to a study.