Because it's so effective, PFAS-laden firefighting foam isn't easy to replace. However, there are indications that PFAS alternatives might finally be ready for prime time.

The Department of Defense is expected to change its policies early next year to allow for the use of non-PFAS foams, while some states are also pushing civilian firefighters to phase in the use of these new foams.

On this episode of our environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law reporters Pat Rizzuto and Andrew Wallender talk about why this may not be as big of a breakthrough in the fight against PFAS contamination as it may seem. They say the PFAS alternatives will at least initially be hard to come by—especially if the military uses its massive purchasing power to buy them all up. There's also the matter of safely disposing of existing stocks of firefighting foam, which will be a challenging task in itself.

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