NORWELL, Mass.– Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE: CLH), a leading provider of environmental and industrial services in North America, announced the results of a new study demonstrating that its high-temperature, RCRA-permitted incineration facilities can safely and effectively destroy PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” at levels significantly below regulatory limits.
The tests confirmed that emissions from Clean Harbors’ facilities were two to eight times lower than the most stringent state or federal standards. The study was conducted in November 2024 with onsite participation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense (DoD).
“These study results further validate that we can safely and thoroughly destroy a wide variety of PFAS compounds in our high-temperature RCRA-permitted hazardous waste incinerators,” said Eric Gerstenberg, Co-Chief Executive Officer. “There has been misinformation around incineration and whether it is safe to destroy PFAS. We excelled using both OTM-50 and 0010—the EPA’s strictest and newest testing standards for PFAS. We are the only company to have achieved that designation. Most importantly, we demonstrated with certainty that we can effectively eliminate the threat from forever chemicals in its multiple forms and at commercial scale with consistent outcomes.”
The study built on earlier testing Clean Harbors conducted in 2021 and 2022 but incorporated the EPA’s newest OTM-50 and 0010 (pre-cursor to OTM-55) emission standards. No other destruction technology has met both benchmarks.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who recently toured the company’s Deer Park, Texas incineration facility, called the effort “impressive to see new American technologies being implemented to protect the environment.”
Mike Battles, Co-Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the broader significance of the findings. “Scientific evidence has repeatedly proven the adverse health effects of many of these PFAS chemicals. The EPA and other regulatory authorities have begun establishing frameworks to protect human health. We partnered directly with the EPA for our recent testing to ensure that we not only met their latest standards but also gathered the most comprehensive data to help regulators develop effective new regulations for PFAS.”
The study examined incinerator feed streams, process residues, and stack gases while introducing various PFAS compounds—including AFFF concentrate, PFOA, PFOS, PFBA, PFDA, PFHxA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA—under normal operating conditions. Results showed complete destruction with stack emissions far below ambient air guidelines.
Independent experts reviewed the results, including Melvin E. Keener, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Coalition for Responsible Waste Incineration, and Dr. Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. Both endorsed the study’s findings.
Clean Harbors noted that its “Total PFAS Solution,” introduced in 2024, combines analysis, water filtration, remediation, and disposal. “Customers want safe, assured destruction of PFAS at scale to eliminate further liabilities,” Gerstenberg said. “We remain the only company that can offer an end-to-end, single-source answer for any PFAS need.”
Battles added, “Based on the results of this latest rigorous study, we continue to view our end-to-end solution and thermal destruction at our RCRA-permitted facilities as the safest and most viable option for addressing and eliminating PFAS. The study results should dispel any lingering doubts about PFAS incineration.”
