US Incinerators Fail to Eliminate PFAS as Experts Challenge 99.6% Reduction Claim
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 30
US Incinerators Fail to Eliminate PFAS as Experts Challenge 99.6% Reduction Claim
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 30
Summary
Nearly 100 US municipal or hazardous-waste incinerators are largely failing to destroy PFAS emissions, experts and advocates say, warning that nearby—often low-income—communities face ongoing exposure to toxic air pollution.
A Minnesota industry report claiming 99.6% PFAS reduction drew sharp criticism because it tested only about 50 compounds out of at least 16,000, relied on incomplete data and used language showing degradation rather than full destruction.
Independent reviewers said PFAS generally require temperatures higher than the 850C cited by operators, and incineration can also create smaller toxic byproducts that standard tests miss.
Zero Burn said Minnesota emissions exceeded EPA-derived air thresholds by up to 17 times, while the industry group said critics had not proved the measured levels were unsafe.
The dispute lands amid fights over incinerators in Miami, Philadelphia and Baltimore and an EPA lawsuit over emission standards that still do not cover PFAS.