Who Has Been Exposed to AFFF?
People who may have come into contact with AFFF include:
- Firefighters
- Military personnel
- Aviation operations personnel
- Chemical plant workers
- Highway emergency response workers
- Oil workers
- And more
In addition to occupational exposure, countless people may have been harmed after being exposed to AFFF in municipal water supplies. According to Clean Water Action, outdated fire regulations for military installations and airports have resulted in AFFF contaminating the water supplies, including the drinking water, of nearby communities.
What Health Problems Are Linked to AFFF?
AFFF is linked to many different health problems, but the biggest risk faced by people who have been exposed to it is cancer.
Types of cancer that people exposed to AFFF are at an increased risk of developing include:
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
What Steps Are Being Taken to Reduce AFFF Cancer Risks?
According to Public Health Watch, researchers have known since 1950 that PFAS chemicals can attach themselves to proteins in the blood and remain in the body indefinitely. Later, animal studies showed that PFAS exposure is toxic and can lead to kidney and liver problems. However, AFFF containing PFAS was still widely used by firefighters and in other industries for decades after these grim discoveries.
Due to growing awareness of the risk, AFFF containing PFAS hasn’t been manufactured since 2015, and the military is phasing out PFAS foam starting in 2024. However, many companies and fire stations still have large stockpiles of AFFF containing PFAS, and many continue to use it to this day.
In June 2020, MLive.com reported that 30,000 gallons of AFFF containing PFAS were collected from municipal fire departments and commercial airports in Michigan to reduce the risk to workers and the public at large.
Contact Our Michigan Defective Product Lawyers if You Were Harmed by AFFF
Once thought to be a miracle product, AFFF containing PFAS is now known to increase the risk of potentially fatal cancers in many of the people who are exposed to it. And while steps are being taken to reduce that risk, too many innocent people have been seriously harmed by this dangerous product; in fact, some are still being harmed today.
If you or someone you love was exposed to AFFF containing PFAS while working as a firefighter, in a fire station, in an industry that used/stored the product, or due to groundwater contamination, and you later developed kidney cancer, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, or pancreatic cancer, we want to help.
Contact Fieger Law today for a free consultation. Our Michigan defective product attorneys will work hard to help you get the money you deserve for your cancer diagnosis, medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
