Understanding Firefighting Foam Cancer

Communities nationwide, including in Minnesota, are increasingly getting serious about the health risks of AFFF, also known as aqueous film-forming foam. This firefighting foam, widely used to extinguish fuel fires, contains toxic substances called PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) that have been linked with certain cancers at long exposure rates.

At Schmidt & Salita Law Team, we’re devoted to raising awareness of this critical issue. If you or someone in your family has questions regarding firefighting foam cancer, AFFF-related risks, cancer claims, and actions you can take, do not hesitate to contact us. Let us straightforwardly explain the process and take control with the needed support.

Understanding Firefighting Foam

Over the years, firefighting foam, AFFF, has primarily been employed to extinguish extremely high-temperature fires with fuel bases. Initially designed for handling fires from oil spills or volatile substances, AFFF got its reputation for creating a suppressive film on flame-producing fuel, cutting off oxygen, and thus halting spreading fires in seconds.

However, many AFFFs have been found to contain PFAS, a family of man-made chemicals commonly called “forever chemicals” owing to their persistence in the environment. The chemical substances do not degrade in the body or natural environment, and contamination is thus widespread.

The American Cancer Society, among other agencies, has indicated that such exposure to PFAS has significant health consequences, one of which is that firefighters are at high risk for cancer due to regular exposure during training or in emergencies.

How Is AFFF Linked to Cancer?

Scientific evidence strongly correlates AFFF exposure with a number of types of cancer, mainly from chemicals called PFAS. These chemicals are highly resistant to degradation and accumulate in human tissue and ecosystems over time.

A study funded by the American Cancer Society, for that matter, proves that PFAS exposure through several occupational routes involving firefighting has been linked with an increased risk of certain types of cancers: it disrupts hormones in the body, diminishes immune activity, and provides a carcinogenic effect.

Firefighters take heavy exposure via two massive risk avenues: exposure through donning and handling firefighting equipment coated with PFAS-based chemicals and through the inhalation of fumes emanating from toxic chemicals in firefighting operations. These risks have sparked increasing scrutiny on manufacturers of AFFF and fire departments for their involvement and accountability regarding protecting workers and searching for safer alternatives.

Types of Cancer Related to Firefighting Foam Exposure

Exposure to firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals has been highly linked to a variety of cancers that disproportionately affect firefighters. Most notably:

• Kidney Cancer: PFOA is an individual PFAS compound that some research has pinned as a known carcinogen from which one obtains a higher tendency for kidney cancer.
• Bladder Cancer: Exposure to PFAS significantly increases bladder cancer among the population of firefighters compared to that in the general population.
• Testicular Cancer: Long exposure to PFAS has been strongly associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer, hence making it one of the most prominent concerns.
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: PFAS exposure can suppress the activity of the immune system, thus increasing the risk for lymphatic cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Statistically, these cancers can take years, sometimes even decades, after the initial exposure to develop. When timely intervention on the part of firefighters is made, these long-term risks should be minimized. Timely legal intervention is imperative to deal with the long-term dangers that firefighters endure.

Can I File a Firefighting Foam Cancer Lawsuit?

Of course, one will have the right to file litigation with the desire for legal compensation should you or any loved one present a cancer disease emanating from firefighting foam exposure. Let us use this moment to treat this claim efficiently through our proficient, skilled lawyers while trying to let justice be sought with victim protection.

Lawsuits aren’t merely about money; they demand accountability from manufacturers and organizations when lives are at risk because someone in charge failed to consider safety basics.

Compensation can include:

• Medical expenses for cancer treatment
• Lost wages and impaired earning capacity
• Suffering and reduced quality of life

Legal processes for such incidents would be initiated based on state and federal laws. At the same time, our committed team will ensure that the claim is made on a firm foundation that addresses all relevant legal standards.

What Evidence Should I Gather for My Lawsuit?

The key to making a rightful case for cancer caused by firefighting foam includes comprehensive and well-documented evidence. Here is what you should do if either you or your loved one were affected so your claim for compensation gets much better:

Medical Records

Gather the medical records, pathology reports, biopsy results, imaging tests, treatment plans, physician summaries, and hospital discharge notices about your diagnosis. These are the significant records that one needs to provide to prove the medical conditions emanating from exposure to PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam. Keep a timeline of symptoms and treatments showing how your condition has progressed.

Work History Record

Maintain detailed records of your firefighting career, including service dates, departments, locations, and incidents involving AFFF foam. Training logs or certifications related to firefighting foam are also helpful. Demonstrating the extent and frequency of exposure is crucial to linking your cancer diagnosis to your work.

Product Usage Records

Document the brands and types of firefighting foams you have used. If the product labels, invoices, or training manuals proffer any clue of which AFFF foam books contained PFAS chemicals, they will become such an important piece of evidence in constructing such a damning direct causal link between the exposure to PFAS and a known etiology and would strengthen your claim on the legality of the action.

Witness Statements

Get statements from coworkers, supervisors, or others who will confirm the work environment, duties, and chemical exposure. Statements confirming the use of foam at a fire or training exercise support your claim and corroborate your account of exposure.

Expert Testimony

Expert consultation with health and toxicology professionals will help in establishing a linkage of your cancer diagnosis to PFAS exposure through AFFF foams. At the same time, the legal teams may bring forward industry professionals as witnesses. Building a strong evidence base through documentation, testimony, and expert testimony is vital in creating a case and seeking justice.

Take the Next Step with the Schmidt & Salita Law Team

Firefighters willingly put themselves in harm’s way to rescue other people’s lives. It is another’s turn to fight for you. Should you or your loved ones have developed health issues allegedly due to exposure to firefighting foam, like fightfighter foam cancer, we are here to assist you.

Contact the Schmidt & Salita Law Team today at 952-473-4530, and let us seek justice and compensation on your behalf.