‘Like a Russian Roulette’: US Military Firefighters Grapple With Unknowns of PFAS Exposure

By Patricia Kime and Hannah Norman | KFF Health News | September 7, 2023

Read the full article by Patricia Kime and Hannah Norman (KFF Health News)

"A U.S. military firefighter for 32 years, Kurt Rhodes trained and performed his duties with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a highly effective fire suppressant that he never knew contained PFAS chemicals, now known to be harmful to human health.

New federal research links testicular cancer in U.S. service members to the “forever chemicals,” adding to a growing body of evidence of the dangers they pose. Rhodes lives in fear that he, like many of his colleagues, will get sick.

“It’s kind of like a Russian roulette,” he said. “Are you going to get the cancers or are you going to be one of the lucky ones who doesn’t?”