PubMed · 2026-05-23
Researchers tested a commercial soil amendment called RemBind®300 to lock down PFOS—a toxic 'forever chemical' found in firefighting foam—in heavily contaminated soil. They found it reduced how much PFOS plants absorbed, but the chemical wasn't truly immobilized: rain and soil chemistry could still release it over time.
RemBind®300 applied at 5% by weight reduced plant uptake of PFOS from contaminated soil, but did not permanently bind the chemical in place.
PFOS concentrations in the test soil ranged from 750 to 7,455 micrograms per kilogram, reflecting real-world contamination levels at AFFF-impacted sites.
Leaching experiments showed that water and changing soil chemistry could remobilize previously 'immobilized' PFOS, raising questions about long-term containment reliability.