Impact of Firefighting Aqueous Film-Forming Foams on Human Cell Proliferation and Cellular Mortality

By Alexia L. Kafkoutsou, Yu-Ping Yang, Elnaz Zeynaloo, Sapna K. Deo, Natasha Schaefer Solle, Erin N. Kobetz, Sylvia Daunert, and Alberto J. Caban-Martinez
J. Occup. Environ
March 15, 2022
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002527

Objective(s):

Evaluate the toxic effects of Aqueous Film-Forming Foams used by firefighters for Class B fire suppression in human-derived kidney cells (HEK-293).

Methods:

Three widely used AFFFs were collected from fire departments and were added to HEK-293 cells in various concentrations. Seventy-two hours post treatment, cellular proliferation and toxicity were examined using commercially available kits.

Results:

All AFFFs evaluated induced cellular toxicity and significantly decreased cell proliferation, even when cells were treated with concentrations 10-fold lower than the working concentration used for fire suppression.

Conclusions:

Despite the reduced usage of PFAS-containing AFFFs in the firefighter work environment, the evaluated AFFFs demonstrated significantly altered cellular proliferation, while also inducing toxicity, indicating the presence of toxic compounds. Both stronger implementation of PFAS-containing AFFFs restrictions and robust evaluation of fluorine-free and next-generation AFFFs are warranted.

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