Firefighters are battling more than the deadly blazes that accompany their profession. They’re also fighting potentially cancer-causing chemicals in their gear – and they’re demanding action, according to an article from The New York Times. Members of the International Association of Fire Fighters reportedly want independent testing of PFAS, the chemicals in their protective gear. The members of the nation’s largest firefighters’ union also want the union to drop sponsorships from equipment makers and the chemical industry.
According to the article, two dozen California firefighters filed suit against 3M, Chemours, DuPont and other manufacturers in October, claiming that the companies “for decades knowingly made and sold firefighting equipment loaded with toxic chemicals without warning of the chemicals’ risks.” Over the past three decades, cancer is reportedly the leading cause of death for firefighters nationwide, comprising 75% of active-duty firefighter deaths in 2019.
Read the entire article here.
