Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would authorize grant funding for new protective gear for firefighters free of forever chemicals.
The Protecting Firefighters and Advancing State-of-the-Art (PFAS) Alternatives Act would authorize $25 million annually for fiscal years 2027-2031 for grants to develop new protective gear that has improved resistance to carcinogens and chemicals from fires and other emergencies.
The textiles used in protective gear can absorb carcinogens, and the contaminants are not completely eliminated through laundering. Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of compounds used in the production of modern firefighting protective gear, has been linked to an increased cancer risk, kidney disease, and reproductive harm.
U.S. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the bill.
“Our first responders put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and too many suffer or lose their lives from cancers caused by toxic exposures on the job — including from harmful PFAS chemicals in their protective gear,” Heinrich said. “Our firefighters shouldn’t have to worry that the gear designed to protect them is putting their health at risk.”
U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Sam Graves (R-MO) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.