PFAS Forever Chemicals in AFFF Firefighting Foam Have An Environmental Impact And Legal Consequences

PFAS forever chemicals in AFFF firefighting foam are non-biodegradable, causing widespread contamination

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 - PFAS forever chemicals in AFFF firefighting foam and consumer products got their name because their molecular bonds are so strong they do not biodegrade when placed into the environment nor when they are ingested into the human body. In addition to AFFF firefighting foam, products made from PFAS chemicals include Teflon brand non-stick cookware, Gortex waterproof clothing, and Scotchgard stain-resistant fabrics, to name a few. Unfortunately, the strength of the molecular bonds also makes them deadly when ingested and disposing of them in traditional landfills has caused groundwater contamination throughout the country. Even more insidious, however, are the PFAS chemicals found in AFFF firefighting foam may have impacted millions of people. Thousand of families are serviced by each firefighting station; therefore, millions of people may have ingested PFAS chemicals forever through their drinking water. While the country is concerned over the PFAS water pollution mentioned above, the runoff from municipal firefighting stations that train using AFFF forever foam may be an even greater catastrophe. Every waterway in the country may irretrievably be contaminated by PFAS forever chemicals from AFFF firefighting foam runoff and may be undrinkable for decades regardless of remediation efforts. 3M has agreed to pay more than $10 billion to water systems across the country to settle a lawsuit over PFAS forever chemicals that don't break down in the environment or human body. "On June 22, 3M entered into a firefighting foam water contamination settlement agreement with thousands of municipalities and water providers nationwide. The company has agreed to pay as much as $12.5 billion to water systems currently known to be contaminated with PFAS chemicals and those which may test positive for contamination in the future. The settlement came after the first trial, involving the city of Stuart, Florida, was delayed due to a possible resolution to AFFF drinking water contamination claims," according to an article in AboutLawsuits.com. The payout is limited to water providers and does not include personal injury or other lawsuits.

Nearly 4500 AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits against 3M, DuPont, and other manufacturers of firefighting foam illustrate the extremes of corporate greed. Firefighters were not warned that the chemical they used to extinguish petroleum and jet fuel fires could cause health problems putting hundreds of thousands of the nation's most devoted first responder lives at risk. Lawsuits may be the only way of holding corporations accountable for the potentially harmful effects of their products. Manufacturers put corporate profits and the stockholder's interests above the health and safety of their customers, and losing billions in lawsuits is just a cost of doing business with them. If you or a loved one have been regularly exposed to firefighting foam either by working as a firefighter or living in an area in close proximity to a firefighting station and have developed kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, or another form of the disease, you should speak with an AFFF firefighting foam attorney to asses filing a lawsuit.

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.