By Will Atwater
A concrete plaque with the Fireman’s Prayer etched in black letters sits at the base of a flag pole hoisting the American flag in front of Chapel Hill’s White Cross Fire Station #1. The first paragraph reads:
“When I am called to duty, God, wherever flames may rage, give me strength to save life, whatever be its age.”
Firefighters are regarded as heroes because they often put themselves in harm’s way when responding to emergency calls. They are able to carry out heroic deeds, in large part, because of the safety shield provided by their protective equipment or “turnout” gear.
However, a growing body of research suggests that the gear that protects firefighters could also be risking their health.
Two studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology — in 2023 and 2024 — revealed that turnout gear’s fabric contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals or PFAS. NIST’s most recent study, published in January, “shows that the textiles used in that protective clothing, called turnout gear, tend to release more PFAS when they are subject to wear and tear,” according to a release.
“The firefighter community has raised concerns about PFAS in turnout gear, but before these studies, there was very little data that address those concerns,” said NIST chemist and study co-author Rick Davis. “Based on these studies, we can confidently say that more than 20 types of PFAS might be present in firefighter gear and that the amount and type of PFAS vary depending on the type of textile used and the amount of stress it has been subjected to.”
PFAS exposure linked to health risks
Also known as “forever chemicals” because they can potentially exist in the environment for thousands of years, PFAS comprises a class of nearly 15,000 compounds, according to CompTox, a chemical database maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency.
For nearly 70 years, PFAS has been a fixture in the consumer market and is ubiquitous in manufactured goods. The compounds can be found in numerous products, including but not limited to nonstick cookware, cosmetics, water-resistant rain gear, upholstery, electronics, food packaging — even dental floss — along with some firefighting foams.
PFAS compounds accumulate in people’s bodies, and researchers have found evidence that suggests links between PFAS exposure and a list of negative health impacts, such as weaker antibody responses against infections, elevated cholesterol levels, decreased fetal and infant growth, childhood obesity and kidney cancer in adults.
For several years, the firefighting community had been sounding the alarm about health risks associated with the job, including cancer rates higher than the general population. Now the industry is asking manufacturers to produce protective gear that’s PFAS-free.
It will take time to find other fabrics that provide the same level of protection to turnout gear’s outer shell, which has a PFAS coating. The coating repels water and oils and protects against heat and moisture buildup, according to Bryan Ormond, assistant professor at N.C. State University’s Wilson College of Textiles. Ormond co-authored a 2023 study that explored whether PFAS-free textiles could offer the same protection as the current ones.
The study found that PFAS-free equipment may not be as effective in repelling hazards firefighters may encounter during a fire — such as flammable liquids.
Growing body of knowledge
A study published in 2020 by University of Notre Dame researcher Graham Peaslee and colleagues found that PFAS compounds on the gear’s outer shell eventually degrade into dust particles that can become unstable and shed. Those particles can then be inhaled, become airborne, transfer to skin and collect in indoor environments, such as firehouses.
Soon after Peaslee and colleagues produced their study, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) co-sponsored a bill that provided funding to the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct more research on the protective gear.
In January, NIST published the findings of its most recent study, which builds on the findings of Peaslee and his team.
According to the NIST study, researchers examined the pants and jacket worn by firefighters, which “typically contain three layers of material: a thermal layer nearest the body, a moisture barrier and an outer shell.”
The testing regime involved stressing the textiles in four ways, using abrasion, heat, laundering and weathering. The weathering was simulated by exposing the textiles to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and high humidity. The results showed the presence of PFAS in all layers.
In other words, the laboratory tests suggest that during the wear and tear — and being exposed to the elements — that’s a part of the gear’s aging process, a firefighter’s exposure to PFAS increases.
“We, honestly, don’t know if the amount that we’ve exposed represents a firefighter wearing [the gear] a couple of times or a couple years,” said Davis. “We just used standardized methodologies, but at least it does tell you that [PFAS levels] do change [over time].”
Some questions that Davis hopes that perhaps medical researchers can address include whether the migrating PFAS compounds are being absorbed in the bloodstream, he said.
Co-author John Kucklick stated what seems to be a growing consensus among researchers who study this topic.Â
“Using PFAS in turnout gear may or may not be an acceptable risk, given all the other hazards that firefighters already face,” said Kucklick. “This data will help people weigh those costs and benefits.”
Safety procedures
A new set of turnout gear can cost $3,000 or more, so not all stations could buy extra sets, especially smaller volunteer services. These days, to maximize firefighter safety using the current protective gear, fire stations that can afford it purchase two sets of turnout gear and limit wearing gear to situations where it’s needed, such as during a fire event or some other type of emergency.
Furthermore, the National Fire Protection Association says that firefighting protective gear should be used for a maximum of 10 years.
Phillip Nasseri, fire chief of Chapel Hill’s White Cross Volunteer Fire Department, has a system in place to minimize the risk posed to firefighters by aging gear.
“On an active person, the frontline gear is replaced every five years and the backup set [every] five to 10 years to help deter some of the breakdown that takes place from regular wear and tear from washing.”
Nasseri also has another type of protective gear that’s “not rated for structural firefighting; it’s basically for everything else,” such as car wrecks [and] wildland fires,” for instance. Nasseri said the lightweight extrication gear does not require a moisture barrier, and the department assigns it to non-frontline personnel to mitigate unnecessary exposure to PFAS.
Additionally, Nasseri said that the department requires that after a fire event, firefighters remove the gear, shower, and wash the gear within 24 hours to minimize exposure. A set of backup gear is available if needed while the primary gear is being cleaned.
Nasseri expressed concern about the push by the industry to transition to PFAS-free turnout gear..
“It is great that we’re identifying some stuff that causes hazards. My fear is that we’re very reactionary and quick to find solutions,” Nasseri said. “Whatever they replace the [protective gear] with, I just hope it’s safe.”
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
