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A new bill proposed in the New York city council would ban the use of toxic Pfas “forever chemicals” in protective gear worn by the city’s 11,000 firefighters.
The New York fire department is the nation’s largest firefighting force, and approval of the legislation would mark a major win for advocates who are pushing for safer “turnout gear” alternatives across the US. Massachusetts and Connecticut last year became the first states to ban the use of Pfas in turnout gear, and Illinois enacted a ban this year.
Turnout gear, including jackets, pants, boots, gloves and other protective equipment that firefighters wear, is treated heavily with Pfas that makes it resistant to water and heat, and helps the textiles breathe.
But occupational cancer is the leading killer of firefighters nationwide, and the regular exposure to the highly toxic Pfas is thought to be a driver of the deaths. The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) estimates cancer from turnout gear accounted for 66% of firefighter deaths from 2002 to 2019.
The bill would also require testing of the city fire houses’ water supplies, and establish a voluntary program that allows firefighters to test their blood for Pfas.
The New York city council minority leader, Joann Ariola, a Queens Republican who authored the bill that has bipartisan support, noted that safer options are readily available.
“Those carcinogens are in their [turnout gear] and they are wearing it over and over and over, and occupational cancer is the number one killer of firefighters,” Ariola said. “We have to do something to protect our protectors.”
Pfas are a class of about 16,000 chemicals typically used to make products that resist water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and they can accumulate in humans and the environment. The compounds are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.
Pfas can be absorbed through the skin, and they are volatile, meaning they can effectively break free from textiles and move into the air where they are inhaled, or end up on surfaces in the firehouse.
A 2020 University of Notre Dame study that tested 30 samples of new and used turnout gear found they contained alarming levels of fluorine, a marker of Pfas. Turnout gear has three components – a thermal layer that presses against skin and includes a moisture barrier, and the outer shell that provides heat resistance.
Notre Dame researcher Graham Peaslee found high concentrations of flourine on the moisture barrier and outer shell, meaning the chemicals are likely absorbed by the skin, while the Pfas in the outer shell end up in the environment at the station or elsewhere.
“Could some of these chemicals come off on the thermal layer and get into the skin? The answer is probably,” Peaslee said in a statement.
The proposal has the backing of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the union that represents most of the city’s firefighters, Ariola said. The department’s administration has expressed some support for the idea of switching to Pfas-free gear, Ariola added, but it has yet to take action. The new law puts in place a 2028 deadline for the department to transition.
Several New York City firefighters are involved in an ongoing class-action suit against chemical companies and turnout gear producers. It alleges that industry knowingly put the firefighters at risk, and is part of dozens of similar suits nationwide.
State efforts to move to Pfas-free gear have been fiercely opposed by the American Chemistry Council, the trade group that represents Pfas producers, and the turnout gear industry.
The bans “may have unintended consequences for the performance of PPE that our firefighters need”, the ACC previously said in a media statement. “[It] is designed to withstand extreme hazards they face on the job, including exposure to open flames, high temperatures, and potentially dangerous combustion by-products.”
However, the tide may be fully turning against the chemical makers. The National Fire Protection Association, which sets firefighter protective gear standards, in September updated the standards to allow for Pfas-free turnout gear, and more departments are expected to follow New York City’s lead.
