Health Risks Tied to AFFF Exposure
Let’s be clear about something. Veterans and firefighters weren’t just standing around watching. They touched AFFF concentrate with bare skin, breathed in foam particles during firefighting, and spent their shifts in areas drenched with PFAS. Researchers publishing in Environmental Science & Technology in 2023 measured PFAS blood levels in career firefighters and found that those with longer service histories carried significantly higher serum concentrations than the general population.
NIOSH backed this up through its own firefighter cohort research. The C8 Science Panel, which studied a community exposed to PFOA from a DuPont manufacturing plant, established probable links between PFAS exposure and kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Then in December 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified PFOA as a Group 1 carcinogen. That’s the highest classification they give.
The picture keeps getting worse. Emerging research has tied PFAS to bladder cancer, prostate cancer, liver damage, and immune system suppression. A 2023 analysis published in Environmental Health reported associations between PFAS levels and prostate cancer risk in exposed populations.
The Federal AFFF Lawsuit: MDL No. 2873
All the legal action is centralized in In re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. The consolidated docket includes claims from individuals, water utilities, and government entities against AFFF manufacturers.
The allegations aren’t complicated. Plaintiffs say manufacturers knew PFAS were toxic and persistent. They failed to warn users. They kept selling AFFF despite internal evidence of harm. And they didn’t develop safer alternatives even when the science made it obvious they should have. Bellwether trials have been moving forward to test evidence and legal theories before broader settlement negotiations.
3M agreed to a $10.3 billion settlement to resolve water utility claims. But that deal doesn’t cover individual personal injury claims from firefighters and veterans. Those cases remain active.
If you served in the military or worked as a firefighter and were exposed to AFFF, consulting a qualified attorney is a recommended first step. Most PFAS attorneys handle these cases on a contingency basis.