For the skilled in the art it was obvious that EPA’s 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program to phase out C8 and higher telomer-type fluorochemicals by the end of 2015 would require a major effort for the producers of oil repellent textile finishes and paper sizes. For producers of fluorosurfactants and Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) agents it has been much less of a problem, since 6:2 fluorotelomer surfactants have been available since the mid 1970's, allowing the production of AFFFs meeting US MIL-F-24385 specifications competing successfully against 3M’s “PFOS foams.” In the late 1970’s, high-purity (&gt;95%) C6 fluorosurfactants were available for use in AFFFs. In 1982 AFFFs derived from these high-purity C6 fluorosurfactants were qualified to the US MIL-F-24385 specifications, amply proving the effectiveness of what is now known as the short-chain, “C6 alternative” foams. This fact did not prevent misinformation and unsubstantiated claims about the availability of high-purity C6 fluorosurfactants (currently &gt;99%), and C6 alternative foams thereof. In fact, there have been false claims that up to 40% more C6 fluorosurfactants would be required to match the performance of foams containing significant amounts of C8 fluorosurfactants. Information regarding the history of the development of C6 fluorotelomer surfactants since the mid 1970’s, and their applications in AFFFs will be presented.

1976-2016: Forty years of saving lives, C6 fluorotelomer surfactants and their use in firefighting foams

251st National Meeting (2016)

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