‘Not surprising:' Pilot program finds elevated levels of PFAS among Indiana firefighters

Statewide, 88% of participating firefighters were classified as having “potential for adverse effects” due to PFAS exposure, while 3% were at an “increased risk” and only 9% were at a “low risk,” according to the report.

Currently, it is unclear whether any Columbus firefighters participated in the voluntary program. Columbus Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Wilson said he was unaware if any local firefighters participated but said the program’s findings were not surprising.

“It was kind of what all of us anticipated,” Wilson said. “…Not only the gear that we wear but the environments that we operate in sometimes, we anticipated seeing some numbers that indicated that we have higher exposure. It was not surprising. Certainly, (it) what we anticipated as a firefighter, generally speaking.”

Firefighters at higher risk

While most Americans are believed to have been exposed to PFAS at some point, firefighters are believed to be among those with the biggest risk of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most people come into contact with PFAS by drinking contaminated water or eating food raised or grown around places where PFAS were made or used. The chemicals can be found in water, soil, air, food and numerous consumer products, including cleaning products, non-stick cookware, shampoo, dental floss and cosmetics.

Firefighters are believed to be exposed to PFAS mainly through ingestion — hand-to-mouth transfer of residues and dust and drinking-water contributions — and occupational inhalation of aerosols and dust, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down naturally in the environment — or do so slowly — and can remain in a person’s blood indefinitely. U.S. manufacturers have voluntarily phased out PFAS, though there still are a limited number of ongoing uses for them.

Taking measures

Wilson said the Columbus Fire Department has taken steps in recent years to reduce local firefighters’ exposure to toxic substance like PFAS.

One common source of PFAS exposure for firefighters is a firefighting foam that has been used by fire departments across the country for decades. The foam, known as Class B aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF, is generally used to extinguish flammable liquid fires, particularly in incidents involving aircraft.

However, state officials helped CFD safely dispose of 300 gallons of PFAS-containing foam in 2022. The department has since equipped its fire engines with Class A foam, which does not contain PFAS, Wilson said.

“We took advantage of that opportunity to remove all of those foams that we did have,” Wilson said. “…We have the alternative safe foams that we use now, and, thankfully, we don’t get into a lot of situations where we use foam anyway.”

In 2023, the department started phasing out some of the multi-layered coats and pants worn by firefighters — known as “turnout gear” — amid growing concerns across the country that gear commonly used in firefighting may be laced with PFAS.

Wilson said the department has completed equipping local firefighters with new PFAS-free turnout gear.

Wilson said previously that the new gear was made by Fire-Dex, an Ohio-based company that manufactures personal protective equipment for first responders, according to the company’s website. The company says its turnout gear contains “a non-PFAS water-repellent finish.”

Currently, CFD is working to increasing the number of cancer screenings provided to local firefighters through the department’s wellness program, Wilson said. The department expects the expanded wellness program up and running sometime this year.

Cancer has replaced heart disease as the biggest killer of firefighters, and the International Association of Fire Fighters attributes 66% of firefighter deaths between 2002 and 2019 to cancer, according to wire reports. Firefighters are at higher risk of getting several types of cancer, according to IAFF, including twice as likely to get testicular cancer and mesothelioma than the general population.

“Just because of the type of environment we work in, we’re exposed to a lot of different things over the course of a career,” Wilson said. “We’re certainly trying to take some really positive steps for early identification through some of our wellness testing and annual physicals. We’re hoping to always boost what we can to help keep our firefighters from exposures, and if we can find exposures early, we can get those firefighters the treatment they need to hopefully live long and healthy lives.”

Preliminary data

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security describes the program’s results as “preliminary data” that establish a research foundation for the state and highlights what it described as an “immediate need for expanded testing and data collection” to guide actions to combat PFAS exposure.

The program’s results also support the implementation of a standardized biomonitoring program for PFAS, according to the report.

“While it is too early to definitively pinpoint specific causal factors for the elevated PFAS levels observed, this finding highlights the critical need for continued, expanded research and testing to fully map the specific exposure pathways and implement evidence-based protective protocols statewide to protect our first responders,” the Indiana Department of Homeland Security states in the report.

The pilot program was authorized through House Enrolled Act 1219 in 2023. The legislation appropriated $200,000 to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to establish a pilot program to determine whether Indiana firefighters have measurable levels PFAS in their blood.

“These findings confirm what firefighters and their families have been raising alarms about for years,” said the law’s author, Rep. Maureen Bauer, in a news release. “PFAS exposure is not isolated. It is systemic, occupational, and statewide. Because of (House Enrolled Act) 1219, we now have real data instead of unanswered questions.”