Massachusetts is on the verge of having the strongest law in the country to protect firefighters from their own gear, as a bill effectively PFAS from turnout gear heads to Governor Maura Healey for her signature.
This week, the House and Senate passed a bill to limit firefighters' exposure to the cancer-causing chemicals; it that says come January 1, 2027, no firefighting turnout gear can be sold if it’s made with “intentionally added” PFAS.
That language, according to those with knowledge of the bill, is intended to cut the amount of PFAS down to near-zero levels.
“And at first I was a little uncomfortable, because couldn't you unintentionally load my gear with PFAS?” said Fall River firefighter and union leader Jason Burns. “[But] that's not the case. It was really just kind of a definition.”
Firefighters say high levels of PFAS are practically required in their gear because they're needed to pass a safety test, given their thermal stability and water-resistant properties. Firefighters have challenged the legitimacy of the test in a lawsuit.
Beginning January 1, 2025, the bill also requires manufacturers to provide notice if firefighter equipment they are selling includes PFAS — much like a warning on a pack of cigarettes.
After watching friends and colleagues die young, Burns said, it was gratifying to see the bill pass in Thursday’s early hours.
“You are going to notice a difference in the amount of cancer diagnosis and the amount of firefighters dying from cancer,” he said.
Firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer, and a 14 percent higher risk of dying of cancer than the general U.S. population according to research by the CDC.
Burns has seen that up close, and said the first thing he did upon learning the news that this bill passed the house was call the wives of two firefighters who lost their 30-something-year-old husbands to cancer.
“I feel like I can look at the families of my firefighters and say we’re doing what we can,” he said. “We're doing the best to eliminate your exposure and avoid that cancer diagnosis.”
Burns says companies are still working on developing PFAS-free turnout gear — but he’s hopeful it’ll soon be ready for purchase.
