By Jonathan Sharp

PFAS has been a central component in products formulated to resist heat and stains (e.g., grease and water). It is found in cookware, paints, food packaging and water-resistant clothing. Because of its chemical properties, it is prominent in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) and turnout gears used by firefighters. However, despite its useful qualities, it has been discovered to pose serious health risks to humans by increasing their chances of falling victim to cancer through continuous exposure. 

Because of constantly using turnout gears and firefighting foams in extinguishing fires, firefighters are exposed to PFAS in their day-to-day, which puts them on the line much more than the nature of their work. Various government organizations and research have linked consistent contact with PFAS to decreased functioning of the immune system, elevated cholesterol levels, birth and fertility problems, liver damage and increased chances of contracting kidney or testicular cancer.

PFAS has earned the name “forever chemical” due to its ability to not easily decompose on its own and remain in the air for long periods of time. As such, PFAS lingers in the air or dust of fire sites and stations. In the firefighting field, by utilizing AFFFs, PFAS can also be spread to groundwater and soil. During the 1970s, the Department of Defense began to use these firefighting foams to put out fuel fires, which became the vital source of PFAS contamination in groundwater surrounding military bases. Thus, an analysis established firefighters’ connection to contracting cancer compared to the general public, as elevated PFAS levels are often found in their bloodstream.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has revealed that 26 kinds of PFAS are present in at least 20 textiles used to assemble different layers of firefighting gear. Varying concentration levels are in the samples, and the lowest concentration was found in the thermal lining nearest to the wearer’s skin. Although that may decrease the chances of exposure, the turnout gears’ moisture barrier and outer shell were found to contain PFAS levels 400 times higher. Also, it is speculated that PFAS may leak out of the gear through constant use.

There are currently 32 fire districts in Rowan County. Among the said districts, 29 are municipal fire departments and contracted volunteers. There are six fire stations in Salisbury alone. In total, there are at least 750 personnel and volunteers who are at risk of PFAS exposure through inhalation or ingestion. As of now, there is no explicit ban on PFAS in the country, despite the 2020 census revealing 1,041,200 registered career and volunteer firefighters across states. In the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap for confronting PFAS, there were no mentioned plans for mediating the harmful PFAS concentrations found in turnout gears and guiding firefighters concerning their risk of exposure to PFAS. These concerning circumstances where authorities minimize the issues surrounding PFAS are further strengthened based on the recent news in North Carolina, where regulators abruptly canceled a PFAS pollution meeting without notice. It is disheartening to witness officials disregarding the existence of an open crisis.

H.R. 4769, or the PFAS Alternatives Act of 2023, is focused on funding research expected to produce PFAS-free turnout gears for firefighters, preparing and enforcing training programs to educate firefighters on how to properly use and decontaminate gears, supporting scientific developments on PFAS exposure limits, and firefighters’ health and safety within the workplace. If imposed, the PFAS Alternatives Act will serve as a precedent for the necessary developments in cost-effectively testing PFAS in the environment, managing and disposing of PFAS contaminations, accurate data of PFAS contaminations across the United States, and most importantly, laws protecting the safety of personnel against the carcinogenic chemical.

Jonathan Sharp is the Chief Financial Officer at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C., a firm located in Birmingham, Alabama. Environmental Litigation Group P.C. supports individuals harmed by toxic chemicals through exposure.