PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are prized for their ability to resist heat and fire, making them a staple in firefighting foam and protective equipment. But studies have tied the chemicals to cancer, and cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

A 2020 study from the University of Notre Dame confirmed high levels of PFAS in both new and used turnout gear, with the potential for the chemicals to leach out and be absorbed through the skin. Six years later, hundreds of thousands of firefighters nationwide are still wearing gear that contains PFAS, according to reporting by InvestigateTV.

“It’s in the gear,” said Chris Albani, a Connecticut firefighter and union representative. “It’s the PFAS that is intentionally put in the gear. And it’s poisoning members.”

Albani knows the risk firsthand. In 2019, he responded to the crash of a vintage B-17 bomber at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, where he used PFAS-containing foam to smother the flames. But the danger isn’t limited to emergency scenes. The chemicals are woven into the everyday gear firefighters wear on every call.

“I have 15 years on, and cancer isn’t an immediate thing. It’s a long-term thing. So, I might not know until I’m 60,” Albani said. “The mindset people have now — it’s not about if I get cancer, it’s when.”

The financial burden of replacing PFAS-laden gear is staggering. A baseline set of pants and a jacket can cost up to $3,000, and with helmets and gloves, the total per firefighter can reach $5,000 to $8,000. For a department of 200, that’s a bill of up to $1.6 million — a sum many municipalities say they cannot afford.

In a national survey of fire departments conducted by InvestigateTV, half of the chiefs who responded said they haven’t switched to PFAS-free gear because their towns and cities can’t cover the cost. Many believe they shouldn’t have to.

That’s where a massive class-action lawsuit comes in. Jennifer Sclar, an attorney representing a growing number of fire unions and municipalities on the East Coast, is suing more than a dozen companies that manufacture turnout gear or the materials and chemicals used to make it. The suits, filed by cities and towns, have been consolidated into a single case in Minnesota.

“The defendants understood the dangers of PFAS,” Sclar said. “This is not like it came out of the sky in 2018. The defendants have long understood what the dangers of PFAS were and are.”

Court documents made public by the Environmental Working Group and cited in the lawsuit show that manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont, were internally labeling PFAS as “toxic” as far back as the 1960s and 1970s. By the 1980s, both companies had begun moving women of child-bearing age off certain assignments to limit exposure, and by the 1990s, their own records showed scientists were finding links between PFAS and cancer.

“We want to make sure that these manufacturers who knew full well that this dangerous chemical was harmful to human beings but yet infused that into our gear for decades — that they’re paying for this gear that we need to replace,” said Ed Kelly, general president of the IAFF.

3M has argued in legal filings that it didn’t manufacture any of the gear worn by firefighters and that there’s no proof of a direct link between the company and protective fire gear. DuPont has previously said the complaints are without merit. Most companies named in the suit did not respond to requests for comment.

Even when departments try to buy PFAS-free gear, the transition is fraught. In 2025, the fire department in Quincy, Massachusetts, paid millions for new, supposedly PFAS-free gear, only to have independent tests reveal high levels of the chemicals. The company involved said it had eliminated PFAS from its textiles the same year Quincy bought its gear and that the chemicals were not intentionally added during manufacturing, with testing turning up very low levels.

“We know we were lied to,” Albani said. “So, we don’t have a level of trust with those companies. We were deceived. We’ve had members pay the ultimate sacrifice because of it. It’s a problem.”

For now, firefighters like Albani are trying to minimize contact with their gear, a drastic change from decades of routine. Walking through the firehouse, he said he avoids touching the jackets and pants until absolutely necessary.

The science is clear, and the stakes are high. As the lawsuit moves forward, fire crews across the country are waiting for safe gear that lets them save lives without putting their own at risk.