Last year, scientists released a study showing that turnout gear — that's the clothing firefighters wear into burning buildings — is filled with PFAS. All three layers of the standard protective gear tested for high levels of the chemicals, linked to a host of cancers and other health issues. That study followed a 2020 scientific paper that showed similar results.
Given that firefighters die of cancer more than anything else in the field, the news was heart-rending for those like Laura Leigh in New Hanover County.
“Some of us, we would take pride in wearing our gear and working out in our gear and doing air consumption drills," Leigh said. "We're sweating, and we're absorbing this stuff into our body that we didn't even know.”
Now, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has put out a new set of guidelines to limit exposure to PFAS in turnout gear, including decontamination procedures and avoiding contact with the clothing whenever possible.
The president of the IAFF, Edward Kelly, said in a March summit presentation that the industry will have to change its culture to respond to this frightening revelation.
“I’m guilty of putting my kids in the turnout gear and taking a picture," he said. "Some kid comes by the station, put on the helmet, put on the jacket. Knowing what we know now, it’s crazy to do it.”
Kelly couldn’t keep the pain out of his voice in the presentation. He mentioned calling 31 retired firefighters for a Christmas party, and more than half of them had cancer.
“Did you know that PFAS stays on your skin once you're exposed to it for about three weeks?" He asked. "It's kind of like a nicotine patch. You can rip it off, but the nicotine absorbs into your skin. Even if you take a shower. That's what we're exposing ourselves to. They've done dust studies in the firehouses. They are loaded with PFAS. ”
It seems a Herculean task to remove PFAS from the lives of firefighters. But their exposure makes them prone to reproductive problems, kidney disease, and immunological problems. And for mothers who are firefighters, there’s the worry of passing those problems on to their children.
That’s why firefighters want to find alternatives to the PFAS-filled gear.
Alternative Gear
Scott Mullins is the head of North Carolina’s firefighter union, the Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics of NC. He said firefighters need alternative gear to use on non-fire calls.
“We need to change our policies. We shouldn't be wearing our turnout gear to go on medical calls, or motor vehicle accidents. There's other gear that will protect us," Mullins said.
Having something else to put on for non-fire calls would limit the exposure firefighters get to PFAS. Mullins wants to see firefighters wear coveralls or similar alternative uniforms when they go to car crashes or medical calls. It’s a major cultural change for the first responders: turnout gear is part of the firefighting identity. That's why they would work out in the outfits, or put their children in them for a photo. The turnout gear is the biggest symbol of the profession, and turning away from it is culturally difficult.
But Mullins says it's a challenge to even get alternate gear. First, cities or counties have to choose to fund those alternatives, and find a place in their budgets. But even then, Mullin says, the gear is hard to find.
"A lot of places are trying to do it right now. It's just that the gear manufacturers are so behind, and they're gonna have a tough time trying to keep up," he said.
A Lawsuit over PFAS-Free Turnout Gear
While firefighters are desperate for gear that protects them without exposing them to PFAS, it's hard to come by. The IAFF says there is currently no PFAS-free turnout gear available on the market.
Standards for turnout gear are created by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), an international non-profit. Compliance with NFPA standards is voluntary in most cases, although in some places state and federal requirements have been based on NFPA language.
NFPA's current guidelines that make PFAS almost a necessity to the formula. That's driven by a code saying turnout gear should be moisture-proof, which often involves PFAS.
The set of turnout gear standard, called Standard 1971, is currently going through a review process, with an expected new version in 2025. But the IAFF has sued NFPA for "its role in imposing a testing standard that effectively requires the use of PFAS in fire fighter protective gear."
In a press release, IAFF said "The test requires turnout gear to be exposed to UV light for 40 hours without degradation," which is a testing standard that "effectively requires the use of PFAS in fire fighter protective gear." Essentially, the only substance that can survive the 40-hour test is PFAS, so requiring it, unless alternatives are discovered, is functionally the same as requiring PFAS, according to IAFF.
NFPA disputes IAFF's claims, calling some of them misleading and in some places defamatory. The organization says it is a neutral facilitator for standards developed by its volunteer technical committees, comprised of "consumers, government, industry and labor, including many representatives from the fire-fighting community." NFPA dismisses any claim of industrial capture by manufacturers.
In a statement, NFPA said, "the NFPA protective gear standard does not specify or require the use of any particular materials, chemicals or treatments for that gear." It also said anyone can suggest potential changes to the standards, and noted that "At no point has the IAFF, or anyone else for that matter, recommended language to the technical committee that would prohibit the use of PFAS in firefighter protective gear."
NFPA also told WHQR the UV light test actually was added because of concerns raised by the IAFF that the moisture barrier degraded, causing safety concerns in the field: "Representatives of the IAFF were part of the technical committee at the time the UV test for the moisture barrier was added to the standard and have been involved since."
The technical review process is ongoing. NFPA has released a first draft of the new standards, and another draft will be available next year. That may include the removal of the UV test — which could open the door to developing PFAS-free turnout gear.
According to the NFPA, "development is currently underway on NFPA 1970, the standard related to firefighter gear. Proposed changes include the removal of the UV light degradation test along with refining test procedures for determining specific restricted substances, refining test procedures for determining ease and effectiveness of cleaning, removal of other test methods and a threshold for labeling gear as 'PFAS Free.'"
Correction: This article originally incorrectly reported that NFPA "regulates" turnout gear — the organization has no power to enforce the standards it endorses, although they are often informally referred to as 'rules' by the many organizations around the world that rely on them. Additionally, some state and federal agencies incorporate NFPA standards into enforceable laws. This report has also been clarified to indicate that removing UV-test, which effectively requires PFAS material to pass, is being considered for removal from a new proposed set of guidelines.
