Across the U.S., about 30,000 municipal fire departments have used Class B aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for decades, assured it was safe as dish soap. Spreading the billowing foam on combustible-fuel fires and in trainings, firefighters were unaware it contained PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a vast class of highly persistent chemicals linked to numerous health problems and cancers.
Cancer is striking firefighters at rising rates and younger ages. In 2023, 72 percent of the line-of-duty deaths among International Association of Fire Fighters members were attributed to occupational cancer.
PFAS also permeates firefighters’ turnout gear, and the air and dust inside fire stations. Local communities where past AFFF use may have contaminated drinking water are at risk.
Many small fire departments lack the resources to minimize firefighters’ PFAS exposure and to investigate potential water contamination. Yet few states are stepping forward to help.
Focusing on Maine, a state where 93 percent of fire departments are largely volunteer-staffed, this project explores a range of unanswered questions: How aware are volunteer firefighters of the PFAS risks they face? Who is helping them reduce their exposure? Why is there not more research on local waters at risk from fire departments’ AFFF use? What might it cost the state to rid fire departments of PFAS?