Daniel Ranahan, a 30-year-old Boston firefighter, was shocked when doctors discovered a large tumor in his chest in October 2020. With less than a decade of service in the Boston Fire Department, he had heard of colleagues battling cancer, but never imagined it would happen to him. As he delved into his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis, he made a startling revelation: the firefighting gear he and his comrades wore contained the toxic industrial compound PFAS.
Ranahan is one among thousands of firefighters across the United States who have taken legal action against PFAS manufacturers and companies producing firefighting gear and foam. They seek compensation for their exposure to these harmful chemicals, which are an integral part of their protective equipment.
“These brave individuals put on this gear day in and day out to safeguard our neighborhoods and respond to emergencies,” Ranahan stated.
Firefighters’ multi-layered coats and pants have now become a focal point in the ongoing battle against per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), a class of chemicals found in various products, including food packaging and clothing, and linked to serious health issues, including cancer. In a significant move, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed limits on PFAS in drinking water.
The revelation that PFAS compounds are present in their gear, primarily designed to repel water, contaminants like oil, and prevent moisture-related burns, has raised significant concerns among firefighters.
Cancer has emerged as the leading cause of firefighter fatalities, surpassing heart disease, with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) attributing 66% of firefighter deaths between 2002 and 2019 to cancer. Firefighters face an elevated risk of various cancer types, including testicular cancer and mesothelioma, at rates twice as high as the general population, according to IAFF.
Despite their exposure to a range of carcinogens from increasingly intense and fast-burning fires, often fueled by petroleum products in homes, a growing number of firefighters now suspect that their protective gear may be contributing to their illnesses.
Edward Kelly, the General President of IAFF, who was elected in 2021 in part to address the dangers of PFAS in gear, stated, “We had no idea that the gear that we were putting on every day was essentially loaded with PFAS.”
One defendant in these lawsuits, 3M Co., has stated that it manufactures personal protective equipment meeting nationally recognized standards to safeguard first responders in high-hazard environments. The company also announced its intention to cease PFAS production by 2025 and discontinue the use of these chemicals in its products.
Another defendant, W. L. Gore & Associates, contends that the PFAS compound PTFE used in its clothing is safe and nontoxic.
The American Chemistry Council emphasized in a statement that “PFAS-based materials are the only viable options for some key equipment that meet the vital performance properties required for firefighting gear.”
Heightened Concerns About Gear
PFAS has been present in firefighting gear for decades, but it wasn’t widely known until Diane Cotter, the wife of retired Worcester, Massachusetts fire lieutenant Paul Cotter, raised concerns in 2016 after her husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Gear manufacturers initially downplayed the presence of PFAS, asserting that it was in trace amounts and harmless.
However, testing by Graham Peaslee, a professor at the University of Notre Dame specializing in PFAS, revealed significant PFAS contamination in the gear, including gloves and firehouse dust.
Courtney Carignan, an exposure scientist and epidemiologist at Michigan State University, conducted blood tests on 18 firefighters in Nantucket and Fall River, Massachusetts, discovering PFAS levels twice as high as those found in the general population. She also found that PFAS from gear could transfer to firefighters’ skin.
Despite these findings, the extent to which the gear contributes to elevated PFAS levels in the blood and whether PFAS exposure directly causes or contributes to cancer is still under investigation.
Firefighters Take Action
The discovery of PFAS in their gear has prompted firefighters to launch a campaign seeking safer alternatives and holding companies accountable. Lawsuits on behalf of firefighters argue that they were significantly exposed to PFAS and that companies were aware of its presence in the gear and its potential health risks. These lawsuits also accuse companies of misrepresenting their products as safe.
In 2021, the IAFF, representing over 340,000 U.S. and Canadian firefighters, decided to discontinue sponsorships or advertising from the chemical industry and oppose PFAS in turnout gear. A congressional bill introduced in July aims to expedite the search for safer alternatives and provide support for firefighter training to minimize exposure from existing gear.
Several states, including Washington, New Hampshire, and New York, have passed bills requiring companies to disclose PFAS in their gear, and more states have introduced or enacted legislation to fund the purchase of PFAS-free gear or prohibit the manufacture or sale of gear containing these chemicals.
No Easy Solution
For most fire departments, replacing gear is costly, with one set potentially costing over $4,000, and finding viable alternatives has proven challenging. While some companies are promoting PFAS-free outer layers, this does not completely resolve the issue since the other layers still contain PFAS, according to the IAFF.
One obstacle highlighted in a lawsuit filed by the IAFF in March is that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard for gear can only be met with PFAS-infused materials. The lawsuit accuses the NFPA of collaborating with gear manufacturers to maintain this requirement, and it seeks both damages and the termination of this standard.
Chris Dubay, the NFPA vice president and chief engineer, clarified that the standard does not mandate the use of any specific materials, chemicals, or treatments for gear. He denied any special agreements or relationships with companies in the development of standards.
Fire departments, like Brockton, Massachusetts, have been forced to take measures to reduce firefighter exposure to gear that has long been a part of their identity. Turnout gear is no longer worn in living quarters, and efforts are made to wash it after fires. It is now stored on trucks and is reserved for serious emergencies like fires and car accidents.
William Hill, the president of the Brockton Fire Fighters Local 144, who successfully battled testicular cancer, emphasized, “Being told that PFAS is in the gear, guys don’t want to take the chance of being overexposed.”