The Firefighter PFAS Crisis: More Than Just the Foam
Firefighters face PFAS exposure from multiple occupational sources—a fact that has taken on urgent significance as epidemiological studies confirm dramatically elevated cancer rates among fire service personnel. AFFF-contaminated training grounds are one source; but firefighters’ own personal protective equipment (PPE) is increasingly recognized as a significant PFAS exposure pathway. Turnout gear (structural firefighting gear) has historically been manufactured with PFAS-based durable water repellent (DWR) coatings, PFAS-containing outer shell fabrics, and PFAS-treated moisture barriers—creating a situation where the equipment meant to protect firefighters from harm delivers a chronic PFAS dose with every use.
PFAS in Turnout Gear: The Research Evidence
A landmark 2020 study by Graham et al. in JAMA Network Open documented that firefighters have cancer rates 9% higher than the general US population—with specific elevations in mesothelioma, melanoma, and several gastrointestinal cancers. While multiple occupational exposures contribute, PFAS from PPE has been specifically studied: a 2019 research study by the University of Notre Dame found PFAS at concentrations of 10,000–100,000 ng/g in the outer shell and moisture barrier materials of new turnout gear from multiple manufacturers. During fire suppression operations, heat drives PFAS from PPE into skin contact zones; contaminated gear is frequently transported in personal vehicles and brought into firehouses, creating secondary exposure for firefighters and their families. PFAS from skin absorption through turnout gear contributes measurably to blood PFAS levels in active firefighters.
NFPA Standards and the Path to PFAS-Free Gear
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets performance standards for firefighter PPE through its 1971 (structural firefighting), 1975 (station/work apparel), and 1977 (wildland firefighting) standards. In 2023, NFPA 1971 was amended to require that all new structural firefighting gear manufactured after January 2025 be free of intentionally added PFAS—the most significant safety standard revision in turnout gear history. This mandate drives PPE manufacturers (Globe Manufacturing, Lion Apparel, Morning Pride) to reformulate gear using fluorine-free DWR technologies while maintaining compliance with NFPA’s demanding performance requirements for thermal protection, moisture resistance, and durability. Several municipalities—San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles County—have already committed to purchasing PFAS-free gear ahead of the NFPA mandate deadline.
State Legislative Action
California’s AB 2146 (2022) requires all firefighter PPE sold in California to be free of intentionally added PFAS beginning January 1, 2025—among the first state laws specifically targeting PFAS in occupational protective equipment. Massachusetts, Colorado, and Minnesota have followed with similar state legislation. Federal OSHA has not yet issued PFAS-specific standards for firefighter PPE, but NIOSH has published interim guidance recommending that fire departments implement enhanced decontamination procedures for PFAS-contaminated turnout gear pending transition to PFAS-free alternatives. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has formally endorsed PFAS-free PPE as a union health and safety priority, adding labor movement weight to the regulatory push.
The firefighter PFAS cancer crisis provides perhaps the most compelling human face to the PFAS regulatory challenge—occupationally exposed workers who dedicated careers to public safety now bear the personal cost of chemical exposures that were known hazards but not adequately controlled.