By Jordan Nathaniel Fenster
The Middletown Press, Conn.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Firefighters from two more Connecticut departments have been added to a class-action federal lawsuit against the companies that make their protective gear, alleging it contains the possibly cancer-causing chemicals called PFAS.
It may be the first lawsuit of its kind in the nation.
Firefighters in Stamford and Old Mystic are the latest to have joined their colleagues as plaintiffs in the suit, along with the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut and local firefighters unions in Fairfield, Stratford, Hamden and Groton. The lawsuit alleges that manufacturers of “turnout gear,” or treated clothing and equipment, have “derived substantial revenue” despite the equipment containing so-called “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS.
Among the 20 companies named in the civil action as defendants allegedly involved in the manufacture of firefighters’ turnout gear are DuPont and 3M.
“As the science and technology of PFAS, societal and regulatory expectations, and our expectations of ourselves have evolved, so has how we manage PFAS,” a 3M spokesperson said via email in June, adding: “3M will address PFAS litigation by defending itself in court or through negotiated resolutions, all as appropriate.”
Turnout gear, the multi-layered, fire retardant coats worn by firefighters consists of a thermal liner surrounding a moisture barrier, which is all covered by an outer shell. According to a 2020 study from researchers at the University of Notre Dame, several of those layers contain PFAS.
How firefighters can protect themselves from PFAS:
Learn how you can limit your exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl, also known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals”
The study tested for PFAS in both new and old turnout gear found that the chemical could be transferred from the equipment to the firefighter’s undergarments or skin. “Used gear showed lower levels of PFAS, as well as an increased migration into untreated material,” the study states.
“If they touch the gear, it gets on their hands, and if they go fight a fire and they put the gear on and take it off and then go eat and don’t wash hands, it could transfer hand to mouth,” study author Graham Peaslee said in a university release. “And if you’re sweating and you have sweat pores, could some of these chemicals come off on the thermal layer and get into the skin? The answer is probably.”
PFAS, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been in commercial use for decades. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified two of the most common, Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as “carcinogenic to humans” and “possibly carcinogenic to humans” respectively, based on laboratory tests on animals.
Ian Sloss , an attorney at the Stamford firm Silver Golub & Teitell, which is representing the firefighters, said there’s no specific harm being alleged by any specific person or group of people in the lawsuit.
“None of the firefighters included in the class action have any condition they are specifically linking to PFAS,” he said in June. “They’re just tired of feeling like they’re potentially getting sick or exposing themselves to toxins every time they’re putting on their gear and not having any legal action taken on their behalf.”
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