FIREFIGHTER AFFF EXPOSURE LAWSUITS

LK Investigating AFFF Exposure Claims from Firefighters

Firefighters were exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam for decades without their knowledge, with blood levels far above the public.

Levy Konigsberg is investigating aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) exposure claims from firefighters diagnosed with cancer after using PFAS-containing foam on the job and in training.

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) is a Class B firefighting foam used to extinguish high-hazard flammable liquid fires, such as fuel, oil, and grease fires. Manufacturers added PFAS chemicals to AFFF because they form a highly effective barrier over burning fuel. Older formulations of AFFF contained perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)  — long-chain PFAS chemicals that are no longer manufactured in the United States due to their toxicity. Firefighters were exposed to PFAS through airborne foam droplets during firefighting and training exercises, direct skin contact with the foam, contaminated turnout gear, fire station dust, and drinking water contaminated by foam runoff. Multiple studies have found that firefighters — particularly those who repeatedly used AFFF in emergencies and training — have elevated levels of PFAS in their blood compared to the general population.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by PFAS exposure, contact us today.

What We Know About Firefighter AFFF Exposure

• In March 2026, New Jersey collected PFAS-containing firefighting foam from hundreds of fire departments for permanent destruction — one of the largest coordinated foam collection and destruction programs in U.S. history.

The $16.6 million state-funded program identified more than 400 eligible fire departments and expected to collect approximately 150,000 gallons of foam, ahead of a state law banning the use and storage of PFAS-containing firefighting foams after January 1, 2027.

The president of the New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association stated that firefighters “face elevated exposure to PFAS through firefighting foams and contaminated gear at much greater levels than the public,” and that “cancer in the fire service is our number one killer.”

• In February 2025, the International Agency for Research on Cancer published Monographs Volume 135, its full evaluation classifying PFOA as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) and PFOS as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).
• In April 2024, a Washington State advisory committee found sufficient evidence that firefighters are regularly exposed to PFAS at work, identifying AFFF, degraded and contaminated turnout gear, fire station dust, and smoke from burning PFAS-containing products as the primary routes of exposure.

The report cited research finding that firefighters exposed to AFFF had blood PFOS levels six to ten times higher, and PFHxS levels ten to fifteen times higher, than the general population.

Firefighters with 20 or more years on the job had PFOS concentrations more than five times greater than firefighters with less than 10 years — reflecting the era when PFOS-based foams were in heaviest use.

• In August 2023, the PFAS Exchange reported that firefighters have been exposed to toxic PFAS without their knowledge for decades and have higher rates of cancer compared to the general population.

PFAS exposure has been linked to testicular and kidney cancers, high cholesterol, preeclampsia, liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased vaccine response, infertility, and low birth weight.

Studies found elevated PFAS blood levels in female firefighters in San Francisco, 9/11 first responders, and volunteer firefighters in New Jersey — with levels increasing with years of service.

In 2018, Congress established the national Firefighter Cancer Registry to track cancer among firefighters, and states including Washington and California have passed laws requiring disclosure when firefighter protective equipment contains PFAS.

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