PFAS Alternatives Act: Making firefighters safer from toxic chemicals
Firefighting is a dangerous occupation due to the toxic environment created by combustible materials, involving major risks such as smoke inhalation, oxygen deficiency, high temperatures, poisonous atmospheres, and violent air flows. Toxic exposure is very prevalent among both civilian and military firefighters, as they often come in contact with harmful agents such as formaldehyde, benzene, hydrogen cyanide, asbestos, silica, and last but not least, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Also known as PFAS or "forever chemicals" due to their inability to break down in the environment, these highly toxic substances are present in AFFF, a fire suppressant used to extinguish fires stemming from combustible and flammable liquids and gases, such as jet fuel, alcohol, gasoline, petroleum, and lacquers. The firefighting foam contains between 50% and 98% PFAS, which poses a major health threat to firefighters.
Exposure to PFAS can result in countless health problems, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer. Once "forever chemicals" are present in the human body, it takes nearly four years for their level to go down by half, supposing no additional exposure occurs. However, civilian and military firefighters are constantly exposed to PFAS, placing this occupational group at increased risk of cancer. In fact, cancer has become one of the leading causes of death among firefighters – they have a 9% higher risk of coming to struggle with a malignant disease and a 14% greater risk of dying from cancer than the general population. Some of the most common cancers in firefighters are mesothelioma, testicular cancer, and multiple myeloma. While mesothelioma is caused exclusively by asbestos exposure and multiple myeloma has a strong association with benzene exposure, testicular cancer is often the consequence of PFAS exposure.
Although firefighters are exposed to "forever chemicals" from their frequent use of AFFF, their very personal protective equipment that is meant to shield them from extreme temperatures contains these dangerous substances. Turnout gear is made of three layers – a thermal liner close to the skin, a moisture barrier, and a water-repellent outer shell on top.
According to a May 2023 report, PFAS concentrations were lowest on the gear closest to firefighters' skin and highest on the outer second and third layers. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have conducted a thorough examination of a range of textiles used in firefighting turnout gear. They targeted 53 PFAS within 20 textiles used to manufacture the different layers of turnout gear. The researchers identified and quantified the concentrations of 26 different PFAS, uncovering important differences among the samples. According to the study, the moisture barrier and the outer shell contained PFAS levels up to 400 times higher than the thermal liner.
The existence of "forever chemicals" in the turnout gear of civilian and military firefighters poses an unreasonable health risk to these brave people, as in addition to being exposed to PFAS from the use of AFFF, they can also easily inhale these toxic substances from their personal protective equipment as it deteriorates with wear and tear.
"If you changed to a non-PFAS water-repellant coating on the outer shell, then you essentially eliminate PFAS from that layer. There isn't much in the thermal liner to begin with. So really the one layer left to address is the moisture barrier," said National Institute of Standards and Technology researcher Rick Davis, a study co-author. The first step to better protecting firefighters from this health hazard is to learn about the sources of PFAS exposure, which often include their turnout gear. "Forever chemicals" are used in the manufacturing of firefighting turnout gear to repel water and contaminants such as oil and prevent moisture-related burns. However, there might be feasible alternatives to PFAS, which, if used, would eliminate the unnecessary health risk of breathing in these hazardous chemicals from turnout gear.
On July 20, 2023, the PFAS Alternatives Act was introduced by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. If it became law, the new legislation would accelerate the development of PFAS-free turnout gear through research, development, and testing of turnout gear materials free of "forever chemicals", facilitate the development of safer turnout gear materials, support guidance and training for firefighters on the best practices for reducing toxic exposures through the proper wearing, cleaning, and caring for next-generation turnout gear, and involve the firefighting industry in the development process of PFAS-free turnout gear. Furthermore, the PFAS Alternatives Act would authorize $25 million every year for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to support the development of new materials, as well as $2 million annually to support guidance and training.
The PFAS Alternatives ACT would expedite the development of safe turnout gear through comprehensive research, executing development initiatives, and rigorously testing the new equipment. It would also serve as a crucial support guidance for civilian and military firefighters on best practices for mitigating harmful exposures.
By reducing PFAS exposure in firefighters by developing turnout gear without "forever chemicals", we might also witness a decrease in the rate of cancer currently occurring in the occupational group. The EPA warns of the potential carcinogenic nature of PFAS and states that there is no acceptable level of exposure or consumption of these toxic substances, which means that the presence of these chemicals in firefighting turnout gear poses a serious health threat to the people who regularly put their lives on the line to protect their communities. If the PFAS Alternatives Act was signed into law, firefighters would no longer have to worry about another source of toxic exposure that is their very turnout gear.
Jonathan Sharp is Chief Financial Officer at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. The law firm, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, provides assistance to civilian and military firefighters injured by toxic exposure on the job or during active duty. Jonathan Sharp is responsible for case evaluation, management of firm assets, and financial analysis.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: PFAS Alternatives Act: Making firefighters safer from toxic chemicals
