EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio — Plans by the U.S. Department of Defense to resume the burning of polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at Heritage Thermal in East Liverpool drew ire from local lawmakers who questioned the safety of incinerating the “forever chemicals.”

U.S. Reps. Mike Rulli, R-Ohio, and Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania, co-wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday, demanding the Pentagon reconsider its renewed appeal to a 2022 law that prohibits the DOD from incinerating PFAS. Heritage is one of two incinerators in the country licensed to dispose of the man-made chemicals. The other is Clean Harbors Aragonite in Grantsville, Utah.

“The DOD is looking to resume the incineration process in East Liverpool that can contaminate the surrounding soil, seep into nearby water sources, and pollute the air,” Rulli and Deluzio wrote.

The dangers of PFAS are not in dispute. The manufactured chemicals have already been linked to thyroid cancer and birth defects and break down very slowly, leading to the “forever chemicals” nickname. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that overtime PFAS can build up in people, animals and the environment. Those palpable risks are what led to the federal-enacted moratorium on incineration. The ban was not permanent but was meant to remain in effect until a safer method of PFAS disposal was determined.

The DOD insists a cleaner process of burning PFAS now exists, but the congressmen’s letter challenges that claim.

“The DOD has cited improved, cleaner incineration techniques as their reasoning for this renewed appeal. The EPA, however, disagrees, and just earlier this year admitted that ‘uncertainties remain’ regarding the effectiveness and safety of PFAS incineration,” the letter said. “You should not carry out any operations in our communities without being certain of its safety.”

PFAs are also found in everyday items such — food packaging, non-stick stain repellent and waterproof products — and are heavily used in manufacturing. Beside incineration, the EPA lists underground injection and landfills as other disposal methods for the chemicals but the agency said that “appropriate method for ultimate disposal of PFAS wastes is a complex issue due to their volatility, solubility and environmental mobility and persistence.” PFAS are easily spread to other communities by air through shifting wind patterns and water such as riverways.

The EPA released its updated Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS and Materials Containing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Materials Containing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in April. However, even in this updated literature, the EPA states that additional testing of thermal treatment operations are needed to support more specific guidance. It did say that “research suggests that the use of higher temperatures, well mixed combustion environments, and longer residence times may be more conducive to destroying PFAS and controlling related products of incomplete combustion” but stops short of calling incineration safe.

In their letter to Austin, Rulli and Deluzio asked the Pentagon to answer two pivotal questions — what makes the new process cleaner and what will be done to keep East Liverpool, the surrounding communities safe from PSAS contamination if the ban is lifted?

“There must be acceptable answers to these questions before something happens that could put our constituents at risk,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to end any PFAS incineration and block any efforts to resume this in East Liverpool until the DOD and EPA can prove there is no risk to our communities’ health and safety. We also implore you to work closely with local leaders of the affected communities so that they are aware of your plans and can best advocate for their interests.”

Heritage Thermal, located in East Liverpool’s east end, began accepting PFAS in 2019 and the facility has not been without its controversies. The incinerator was built in 1992 by Waste Technologies Industries (WTI) and was the largest toxic waste incinerator in the United States at the time. In July of 2013, an explosion at the facility sent a plume of steam and heavy metal ash into the air. In June 2022, it caught fire. Thermal heritage has also faced lawsuits over excess emissions and the burning hazardous waste from the U.S. military. Last year, the incinerator was selected as one of the EPA-approved facilities to accept and burn contaminated soil from the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical release.