Carlos Avila Gonzalez/Getty Via Grist

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Jeff King has served on the volunteer fire department in Corydon, Kentucky, for over 30 years. He is well aware of the dangers of the job—including one that may be hiding in the supplies he and his crew use to keep others safe. 

Many of the foams firefighters spray to extinguish blazes contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are a class of human-made chemicals that repel water and oil; it’s this quality that makes them effective at battling tough-to-put-out fires, like those started with diesel fuel. The chemicals are also tied to a host of human health problems, from reproductive issues to high cholesterol to certain types of cancer. King admits that some of the foams he’s used over his career “may or may not be good for us.”

That’s why he visited Dalton, Georgia, last year to meet with representatives from Cross Plains Solutions, a company that developed a PFAS-free firefighting foam made from soybeans. After seeing the foam in action, he was impressed. “The product performs just fantastic,” said King. And because it has been certified as PFAS-free, he figured, “there’s nothing in it that could potentially make me or any other firefighter in this country that uses it sick. I just thought, ‘Wait a minute, this is almost a no-brainer.’”

There’s another upside for King in all of this: In his day job, he’s a soybean farmer himself. A new application for the humble soybean would be good for business. 

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