Showing 1-15 of 181
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Firefighting without PFAS, expert explains
News
8 Apr 2025 | Virginia Tech
Brian Lattimer, head of the Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been at the forefront of this challenge. With new bans on PFAS and increasing awareness of their impacts, his team is working to develop firefighting solutions that do not rely on these chemicals.
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Firefighters who Battled Maui Wildfires Have High Levels of PFAS
News
2 Apr 2025 | Fire House
NIOSH researchers evaluated exposures of Maui firefighters to various chemicals.
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Serum concentrations of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) among men from the Danish fire services and Armed Forces
Science
25 Mar 2025 | Int. J. Hyg. Environ.
Civilian airport firefighters in Denmark showed slightly elevated blood levels of PFAS chemicals such as PFHxS, PFHpS, and PFOS—commonly found in firefighting foams—pointing to the need for stronger regulations and safer, non-toxic alternatives.
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Suspect screening of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in new firefighter turnout gear textiles
Science
20 Mar 2025 | NIST
Firefighter turnout gear was found to contain a wide variety of PFAS chemicals—including newly detected compounds like perfluorobutane sulfonamido ethanol and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfate—highlighting that even new gear may expose firefighters to harmful substances, reinforcing the urgent need for broader chemical screening and safer materials.
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Notes from the field: Serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances among first responders to the Maui wildfires — Hawaii
Policy
6 Feb 2025
Median summed concentrations of selected PFAS among Maui County, Hawaii employees approximately 1 month after the 2023 Maui wildfires were higher among firefighters than among other responder groups. Sources other than the wildfires could have contributed to the levels.
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[Report] Notes from the Field: Serum Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Among First Responders to the Maui Wildfires - Hawaii, September 2023
Science
6 Feb 2025 | MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
First responders to the 2023 Maui wildfires had elevated serum levels of PFAS, particularly firefighters, likely due to exposure from fire effluents, contaminated gear, and firefighting foams, raising concerns about long-term health risks such as cancer and metabolic disorders.
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Milliken & Company Becomes First Textile Manufacturer to Offer Non-PFAS Materials for Every Layer of Firefighter Turnout Gear
News
20 Dec 2024 | Firehouse Magazine
Milliken composites were able to meet and exceed the more stringent NFPA 1971-2018 standard during the third-party testing process in November.
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PFAS Found in Firefighter Gloves, Hoods and Wildland Gear
News
17 Dec 2024 | NIST
The protective clothing worn by wildland firefighters often contains PFAS, according to a new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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Why decades-old, toxic PFAS foam is still contaminating northern Michigan waterways
News
23 Nov 2024 | PBS
The Defense Department missed a deadline this fall to stop using a toxic firefighting foam that has caused widespread contamination across the country.
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Tests show high level of 'forever chemicals' in Montreal firefighter bunker gear
News
18 Nov 2024 | CBC
Tests conducted at Université de Montréal's environmental chemistry laboratory for Radio-Canada's Enquête revealed high levels of PFAS in the textiles that make up a firefighter's bunker gear, the clothing they wear when they respond to calls.
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Fall River firefighter wins years-long fight against PFAS in gear. What does he do now?
News
9 Oct 2024 | The Herald News
After six years, Jason Burns feels he’s earned a quick breather. Then it’s back to the job of trying to save lives.
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‘Chronic threat’ of PFAS firefighting foams raised in 2003 secret UK report
Policy
11 Sep 2024
The Environment Agency was warned about the “chronic threat” that firefighting foams containing PFAS “forever chemicals” pose to the environment in 2003, 20 years before it started the process of regulating the chemicals, it can be revealed.
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Nontarget Analysis Combined with TOP Assay Reveals a Significant Portion of Unknown PFAS Precursors in Firefighting Foams Currently Used in China
Science
9 Sep 2024 | Environ. Sci. Technol.
Researchers identified 54 PFAS compounds, including seven novel ones, in Chinese firefighting foams, with some meeting persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity criteria, and advanced analysis revealed additional PFAS precursors that were previously undetected.
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Two states become first in US to ban use of PFAS in firefighters’ protective gear
Policy
26 Aug 2024
Turnout gear sold in Massachusetts and Connecticut must be free of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ by 2027 and 2028.
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Officials say not to eat fish from these Maine bodies of water
News
24 Aug 2024 | WMTW
The historic use of fire-fighting foam has led to elevated PFAS levels near the former naval air base in Brunswick.