Firefighters Have The Support Of Those Who Link Using AFFF And Developing Cancer

Hundreds of firefighters have been diagnosed with or died from cancer in their 40s and 50s

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 - There is no question that AFFF foam, made from PFAS forever chemicals, is deadly and the leading cause of death among those who use it in the performance of their occupation. So many firefighters have developed terminal illnesses from using AFFF firefighting foam that firefighters now consider dying from AFFF cancer the equivalent of dying in the line of duty. According to WHQR.org, " For years, the assumption was that carcinogens from fire were the primary cause. But recent studies have found that PFAS -- a category of cancer-causing and cancer-linked chemicals -- are in their turnout gear and in the foam they use for certain severe fires." Firefighters in the military and also civilian firefighters including those at airports and air stations use firefighting foam to extinguish petroleum and jet-fuel fires. Firefighters also train with the product and say they are usually covered in it from head to toe when they use it. Many were told that AFFF foam was as safe as the suds in dishwashing liquid. Up until recently the connection between AFFF firefighting foam and cancer was nebulous at best, but now there can be no doubt about the product's toxicity as hundreds of firefighters have been diagnosed with or died from cancer in their 40s and 50s, a very young age. AFFF lawsuits are being filed by firefighters that have been diagnosed with cancer against 3M, DuPont, and about a dozen other companies involved in the manufacture of the product. They are accused of looking the other way with information they knew or had an obligation to know about the product's lack of safety. In addition and what may not be readily apparent is that a firefighter's safety gear, jacket, pants, gloves, and boots are all made using material that contains PFAS chemicals much like Gortex brand waterproof clothing and ScotchGuard stain-resistant carpeting and draperies. " Cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighter health and safety today.

FirefighterCancerSupport.org is a non-profit organization that was formed to alert firefighters to seek medical treatment should the signs of cancer become apparent. The website is a leading source of information about studies that link using AFFF firefighting foam and developing cancer at a young age. "Cancer caused 66 percent of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019, according to data from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Heart disease caused 18 percent of career LODDs for the same period. Cancer caused 70 percent of the line-of-duty deaths for career firefighters in 2016. Firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population, according to research by the CDC/National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). The cancers mostly responsible for this higher risk were respiratory (lung, mesothelioma), 
GI (oral cavity, esophageal, large intestine), and kidney," according to firefighercancersupport.org.

Information provided by AFFFLawsuitCenter.com, a website devoted to providing news about AFFF and PFAS cancer, lymphoma and leukaemia claims, including a free no-cost, no-obligation AFFF Lawsuit Claim.