Cancer The Leading Occupational Threat To Firefighters
PFAS are a large group of manufactured chemicals that are used to make everyday products, including cosmetics, carpet, food packaging, Teflon and fire retardants. There are several forms of PFAS, which are collectively referred to as forever chemicals.
PFAS are used in aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, and military. They also are used to keep food from sticking to pots and pans. Others are sprayed on shoes, clothing and paper products to make them waterproof. Forever chemicals are everywhere.
PFAS is often listed on products as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), perfluorooctyl triethoxysilane, perfluorononyl dimethicone, perfluorodecalin, and perfluorohexane. More than 9,000 different types of PFAS have been identified.
These forever chemicals come into contact with humans through two main pathways. The first is through the manufacture and use of products that directly contain PFAS, like food wrapping, firefighting foam, floss, pizza boxes, napkins and toilet papers.
The second major pathway is through contaminated water and soil, and the things that grow in soil or consume water, such as livestock, fish, and produce. Recent data even suggests that forever chemicals can be found in snow and raindrops.
Firefighting foam, commonly used at military bases, is considered a significant source of contamination, particularly through drinking water. Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) made from forever chemicals became popular due to its ability to quickly extinguish fires and prevent reignition. By the 1960s, the U.S. Navy mandated that its vessels carry AFFF. In 2014, 664 U.S. military training sites were identified as likely to have PFAS contamination.
While the health effects of PFAS are still being explored, evidence indicates that forever chemicals cause several health issues, including reduced fertility and increased cancer risk.
“Our findings support the growing body of research linking firefighter exposures to cancer risk,” said Dr. Lauren Teras, senior scientific director, epidemiology research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study. “The associations with skin, kidney, prostate, and colorectal cancer are evident.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found PFAS in the blood of 97 percent of Americans. PFAS also is commonly found in breast milk. It’s safe to say that PFAS has contaminated most of the food and water supplies around the world. The contaminant also threatens fish, wildlife and livestock.
The problem is that PFAS molecules are composed of carbon and fluorine atoms. The carbon-fluorine bond is extremely strong, which means that these chemicals do not degrade in the environment or in our bodies. In fact, scientists are unable to estimate an environmental half-life for PFAS.
PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they remain highly toxic forever. Forever chemicals have leached into our soil and water, which means that food supplies have been contaminated.
Since PFAS don’t break down, they accumulate in the tissue of humans, wildlife and livestock. In addition to cancer, PFAS cause cancer, liver, thyroid, and kidney disease. They weaken the immune system, alter the metabolism, and disrupt the reproductive system. They cause infertility, miscarriage and birth defects. They cause neurological disorders. It also can blacken the teeth of those exposed.
This week, 3M agreed to a $7.35 billion personal injury settlement in November 2026 to resolve approximately 115,000 to 120,000 lawsuits linked to “forever chemicals” (PFAS) in its military-grade firefighting foam (AFFF).
The settlement offer is for some personal injury and health claims (including certain cancers and immune, thyroid, or fertility issues) from firefighters, military personnel, and individuals exposed to AFFF runoff. Under 3M’s proposal, the company will pay $7.35 billion over nine years. 3M has the right to walk away from the deal if a minimum threshold of eligible plaintiffs choose not to accept the settlement. 3M maintains that the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability.
“Cancer is now one of the biggest fights we face in the fire service, but we are determined to do all we can to end this deadly scourge,” said IAFF General President Edward Kelly. “PFAS has been proven and linked to cause these cancers among our firefighters.”
This agreement is separate from 3M’s prior $10.3 billion to $12.5 billion settlement in 2023 that addressed PFAS contamination in U.S. public drinking water systems. This settlement will provide $10.3 billion to $12.5 billion over 13 years to U.S. public water suppliers for testing and filtering PFAS. The payments are managed through the Public Water Systems Settlement Program.
PFAS are still manufactured and used in the United States, though certain specific compounds have been phased out or restricted. While major older compounds like PFOA and PFOS were officially pulled from primary domestic production years ago, other PFAS chemicals continue to be manufactured, used in industrial processes, or generated as byproducts.
Several original forms of PFAS have been removed from many industrial applications, but not all. Unfortunately, products that contain them are still imported into the U.S. from other countries.
New Jersey is the poster child for PFAS relief. The state has the highest share of public water systems with PFAS levels above federal limits. In August 2026, New Jersey approved a legal settlement with DuPont and 3M to remediate statewide contamination and damages across four former industrial facilities and their surroundings in New Jersey. The settlement is worth more than $2 billion, which makes it the largest environmental settlement ever by a state.
While Congress and EPA debate federal PFAS policy, many states are taking action. Twenty-eight states have enacted policies to mitigate the proliferation and harms of PFAS, and six more have proposed similar policies. This includes policies on levels of PFAS in drinking water. Eleven states mandate specific drinking water limits for at least one PFAS chemical and another 12 states are adopting guidance or community notification programs on PFAS in drinking water.
Fifteen states are imposing, or will soon impose, specific regulations on PFAS in certain products. Twelve states have chosen to phase out PFAS in food packaging, while 14 states are removing it from firefighting foam. Some states are moving to phase out PFAS in apparel, personal care products and children’s products. Maine, Minnesota, and Washington state stand out for committing to ban PFAS in all products.
Meanwhile, 30 state attorneys general are suing, or have sued, PFAS manufacturers for contamination (some have already been settled). The states of New York, New Mexico, and Washington, as well as cities, businesses, and individuals have pursued lawsuits against the U.S. government for damages caused by firefighting foam.
Regulation and legislation can help prevent PFAS from being manufactured in or imported into the United States. These pathways can also mandate the remediation of PFAS contamination.
For drinking water, EPA has outlined strategies to treat PFAS, including activated carbon, ion exchange, and high pressure membranes.
Forever chemicals can enter the wastewater stream via residential and industrial waste. This might sound benign, but treated wastewater can still contaminate groundwater, wildlife, and food because wastewater treatment does not remove PFAS.
Forever chemicals are also a concern in soil. PFAS can enter soil through groundwater, compost, irrigation, soil additives, air pollution, landfills, and pesticides. When PFAS-tainted sewage sludge (biosolids) is spread on open land, the chemicals can spread to crops, groundwater, livestock, and wildlife.
The 3M settlements are just a few examples of legal proceedings, so far. Many more have been settled, while others are in progress. A global or nationwide class settlement for personal injury claims has not been finalized, though thousands of individual suits and challenges are working their way through the federal AFFF multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2873).
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