About 1 000 places in Sweden are deemed to be contaminated by toxic PFAS substances from extinguishing foam. Most likely, large amounts of polluted soil to be placed on the tip. But the method can increase the spread of toxins.
Toxic PFAS substances have been used in fire fighting foams for a long time and has poisoned land and water in connection with the fire drill sites in airports and air bases across the country. Among the worst affected are Kallinge, Uppsala, Sweden, Tullinge.
carbon filtration is a method that can be used to purify substances from the water, but are often pricey. It is more difficult to get rid of toxins from the soil. In the current state no established methods. Therefore likely large amounts of contaminated soil to be landfilled.
But Andreas Woldegiorgis, PFAS expert engineering company WSP, warns that this might result to just move around the problem.
– the inherent risk is that these substances will leach from landfills. To my knowledge there is not yet carbon purification, which can capture up PFAS in the leachate, any landfill, he said.
PFAS substances are extremely stable in nature and some can not be broken down at all. Meanwhile, the water-soluble and follows the water flows in the ground. If the substances are deposited in landfills is a serious risk that they comply with the leachate.
Ragnsells facility Heljestorp Vanersborg took a couple of years ago to 9 000 tonnes of sludge contaminated with PFOS, one of PFAS substances, from treatment plant in Svedala. The pollution came from the fire drill site at Malmo Airport, where firefighters had practiced with PFOS-containing foams.
In Heljestorp purified leachate with a biological purification stages and sand filters. But the technology is able thus not clean off the subject.
At the end of 2015 took Ragnsells samples of leachate from the landfill. The result showed that it contained 162 nanograms PFOS per liter of water. It is not alarmingly high, according to Andreas Woldegiorgis, and is thus no major health or environmental problems, but contributes to the pollution of the Gota River.
– The subject is broken never down, so it’s generally not a good solution, says Andreas Woldegiorgis.
He thinks that a better option, in this case, had been to burn the sludge.
– a BioEnergy plant that has a sufficiently high temperature, around 900 degrees, likely burn PFOs. Then get rid of the problem, he said.
Even Ragnsells plant in Högbytorp outside Stockholm has received PFAS contaminated lots. According to Environmental Manager Eva Bivall none of the company’s landfills carbon filters or other technologies that can purify PFAS substances from the water.
But she still feels that it is better to contaminated soil to landfill, where contact with water is reduced, than to remain in the community.
– If the contamination is located in the community is the more uncontrolled than if we put it in the landfill where we have control, surveillance and enforcement authorities. I would say that it reduces the risks, says Eva Bivall.
According to Andreas Woldegiorgis added PFAS contaminated lots often in landfills. And he is convinced that it will become even more common. In order that such action should not increase the circulation of substances in society after he asks a clearer regulation.
– the Environmental Protection Agency should establish requirements for leachate treatment, by regulating the amount spread from landfills maximum allowed to be and develop boundaries how high levels landfills may accept the masses, he said.
But no such plans do not have the Environmental Protection Agency in the current situation.
– Landfills must be designed so that as little substance as possible will leach out and is usually not in sensitive environments. But it needed a further development of the management and treatment of leachate, says Axel Hull Mountain, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
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High levels of PFOS allowed in landfills
Mark to use for example the construction of housing (so-called sensitive land) will generally contain 2 nanograms PFOS per gram of dry matter, according to new guidelines.
Lots deposited in landfills gets under EU legislation contain 50,000 nanograms PFOS per gram of dry matter.
Thus, the landfill is likely to appear as an attractive measure for owners of land with PFOS pollution
Thousands PFAS substances
PFAS stands for poly- and perfluorinated alkylsubstanser and is a group of thousands of substances. Common to them is that they are persistent in nature and many are toxic.
The substances have been manufactured and used since the 1950s, partly because they can reject grease, dirt and water.
An intake of large amounts of PFAs for a long time suspected to damage the thyroid, liver, fat metabolism and immune system.
Perfluorooctane, PFOS, is the substance in the group that have the greatest health risks.
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