‘Cancer is killing firefighters’: Union pushes to remove toxic chemicals from gear

By Charles Duncan | Spectrum News 1 | March 6, 2023

Read the full article by Charles Duncan (Spectrum News 1)

"Their turnout gear sits ready, next to the open doors of the clean, well-polished red ladder truck at Fire Station 1 in downtown Durham, North Carolina.

When a call comes in, announced on a PA through the fire station, the firefighters kick off their shoes and step into the heavy protective gear. They’re in the truck and on their way in a matter of seconds.

The turnout gear, also called bunker gear, is three protective layers meant to keep firefighters safe from flames and heat. But there’s one thing in the special fabrics of the turnout gear that union officials say doesn’t belong in their equipment: toxic PFAS chemicals."

Location:

• North AmericaUS
• North AmericaUSNorth Carolina

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• ProductsClothing
• ProductsFirefighting foam
• ProductsShoes
• ProductsTextiles
• SourcesFire departments
• Affected community
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data