FIREFIGHTER PFAS STUDIES –
Federal Firefighter PFAS in PPE STUDY - Commissioned by Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Multi-phase study to roll out over 3-4 years.
The research plan outlined: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/public-health-risks-first-responders
https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2023/05/researchers-pin-down-pfas-prevalence-firefighter-gear
PHASE 1 complete: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in New Firefighter Turnout Gear Textiles https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/TechnicalNotes/NIST.TN.2248.pdf
PHASE 2: COMPLETE Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Firefighter Turnout Gear Textiles Exposed to Abrasion, Elevated Temperature, Laundering, or Weathering
List updated regularly.
New: 12/27/2023 PFAS Compounds, Known as Forever Chemicals, Accelerate Cancer Migration The work was spurred by the fact that firefighters experience this type of cancer at higher rates than the general population and are heavily exposed to PFAS at work.
https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/topics/oncology/pfas-compounds-known-as-forever-chemicals-accelerate-cancer-migration/
Dr. Graham Peaslee and Last Call Foundation – PFAS Initiative
https://www.lastcallfoundation.org/pfas-initiative
Dr. Peaslee/Last Call Foundation study cited 53 times since June 2020.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00410
STATE BY STATE
ARIZONA. Dr. Jeff Burgess, University of Arizona. CDC Firefighter Cancer Cohort Study
Very little published research exists on firefighter exposure to the newer class of PFAS. By testing the blood and urine of firefighters participating in the study, researchers will measure how much of the old and new PFAS is absorbed into their bodies.
Comparison of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Concentrations in Incumbent and Recruit Firefighters and Longitudinal Assessment in Recruit MARCH 2024
https://publichealth.arizona.edu/news/2020/public-health-researchers-study-health-risk-chemicals-firefighter-foam
https://www.healthandenvironment.org/che-webinars/96591
https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/news/releases/study-aims-reduce-firefighter-cancer-risk
Epigenetics, including DNA methylation, is one biological mechanism that controls whether genes or turned on or off. DNA methylation is responsive to exposures, and widespread changes to DNA methylation are part of the development of cancers. Dr. Jeff Burgess and Dr. Jackie Goodrich presented a study they conducted looking at the impact of PFAS on DNA methylation in US firefighters. Investigators reported links between higher PFAS levels with epigenetic markers, including accelerated epigenetic age and DNA methylation of genes implicated in cancer, immune function, and other disease processes
AUSTRALIA.
Fire Officer Mick Tisbury.Blood Donations – BLOOD Draw down https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-11/firefighter-blood-donation-study-toxic-chemical-pfas/100982330
CALIFORNIA.
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
Women firefighters face high exposure to toxic ‘forever chemicals’
https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/02/26/women-firefighters-face-high-exposure-to-toxic-forever-chemicals/
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b05490#.XlbPyCsHNQc.twitter
FLORIDA.
Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez. University of Miami, Sylvester Cancer Institute.
Blood, Dermal absorption, dust, epigenetic markers, ongoing research.
https://www.publichealth.med.miami.edu/news/news-releases/2021/dr.-alberto-caban-martinez-appointed-community-liaison-to-national-academies-of-sciences,-engineering,-and-medicine-committee/index.html
Firefighter Cancer Cohort Study / PFAS https://www.ffccs.org/projects/pfas
Use of Aqueous Film-Forming Foams and Knowledge of Perfluorinated Compounds Among Florida Firefighters
https://journals.lww.com/joem/Pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2019&issue=05000&article=00020&type=Fulltext&fbclid=IwAR2kX5lRhDI65-vnn6or6zJ3IfweTzLRGhk-PrRECgzq4gDMq6P3Q3C9ams
INDIANA.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Dr. Graham Peaslee worked extensively with South Bend firefighters.
Indiana Public Law 132, enacted May 1, 2023, directs the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to establish a PFAS pilot biomonitoring program. The program aims to test the blood of up to a 1000 current or former firefighters, looking for PFAS. https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/senate/482/details
MASSACHUSETTS.
Dr’s Anila and Dhimiter Bello UMASS AMHERST - BELLO GROUP PFAS EXPOSURES AMONG FIREFIGHGTERS RESEARCH PROJECTS
Project #1: Incentives and barriers to adopting PFAS-free firefighter foams in fire training facilities.
Funding Agency: FEMA (2021-2024)
This project aims i) to identify barriers and incentives to adopting fluorine free foams (FFF) in fire training facilities; and (ii) to study thermal degradation behavior of conventional aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) and replacement FFF. Results will enable identification of new opportunities to overcome barriers to full-scale implementation of PFAS-free firefighter foams, and guide development of best occupational hygiene practices to reduce ongoing PFAS exposures in fire training facilities. Furthermore, the development of comprehensive testing platforms to study thermal degradation products will lead to improved strategies for toxicity testing of foam alternatives, and field sampling of firefighter PFAS exposures for investigations of exposure-disease relationship.
Project # 2: A Novel and Practical Intervention for Detoxification of PFAS in Humans
Funding agency: DoD, Toxic Exposures Research Program – Translational Research Award primary (TERP). ( 2023-2026)
This study aims to investigate PFAS absorption and elimination in a mouse model via administration of dietary fibers. This work builds on the observation that people who eat high fiber diets tend to have lower PFAS levels in their bodies. Based on the existing science, we suggest that dietary fibers that form a gel in the gut will best trap PFAS so they cannot easily move from the gut back into the liver. This will result in an increased amount of PFAS that can leave the body via feces. A translation plan for a future human intervention will be developed as part of the current project.
Project # 3: Identifying Exposure Pathways of Carcinogens and its effect on Cancer Pathophysiology on Firefighters Kidney and Prostate Health
· This study aims to link cancer outcomes with PFAS in tissues through multiple clinical, epigenetic, and analytical measures.
· The main goal is to prevent thyroid and kidney cancers in firefighters through novel screening and biomonitoring techniques.
Supporting agency: Vincere Cancer Center, Arizona
Silent Springs Dr. Vincent Bessonneau and U.C. Berkley Dr. Rachel Morello Frosch;
https://silentspring.org/project/womens-exposures-work
https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/women-firefighters-face-high-exposure-toxic-forever-chemicals
Harvard Chan School of Public Health – Firehouse Dust Study,
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-021-00288-7
Military Firefighter Exposure to PFAS and Adverse Reproductive Outcomes
Leslie Cadet, MD and Carmen Messerlian, PhD ~ Harvard Chan School of Public Health
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6R8Ok-Cikg5dk1FYWFWRGNPLTc4QnpIeERVb3ZaRnpjZEg4/view?fbclid=IwAR2j_kg2ooOg5pFb_jcvMIG2FsnF0kSnzzkVe2_Xh6g7Zvn5m195k9EHdNE
NORTH CAROLINA.
NC State researchers study PFAS-free firefighter gear
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15280837231217401
https://www.wral.com/story/nc-state-researchers-study-pfas-free-firefighter-gear/21194810/
MICHIGAN.
Dr. Courtney Carignan. Carignan Labs, – Testing firefighters in working environment for PFAS dermal exposure by turnout gear.
https://carigna4.msu.domains/?fbclid=IwAR2TiIAMCLlgiXOSqbsDKIFM-s0jhU8fDrXyn-SKqSyOiy3XwrhB__dGLw0
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/04/18/firefighters-pfas-forever-chemicals-massachusetts
PFOMS PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance. The PFOMS project is a statewide initiative with the primary goal of determining blood concentrations of PFAS in Michigan firefighters. The findings of the PFOMS project will help inform decisions about how to minimize firefighters' exposure to PFAS. The PFOMS project will be conducted from 2021 through 2024.
https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/dehbio/pfoms
IAFF Science Team: Neil McMillan, Derek Urwin and Berkeley
Challenge Find safer alternative materials that meet the required functions of the PTFE moisture barrier in firefighter turnout gear
https://bcgc.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/finalpresentation_firefighters_greenersolutions_12.5.2022.pdf
new hampshire.
May 1, 2023: SENATOR SHAHEEN NIST INITIATIVE
Researchers Pin Down PFAS Prevalence in Firefighter Gear
The findings hint at potential solutions for safer equipment.
https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2023/05/researchers-pin-down-pfas-prevalence-firefighter-gear
OREGON.
12.27.2021 Disposition of Fluorine on New Firefighter Turnout Gear
Univ of Oregon, Dr. Jennifer Fields, Dr. Graham Peaslee
Abstract
Firefighter turnout gear is essential for reducing occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals during training and fire events. Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are observed in firefighter serum, and possible occupational sources include the air and dust of fires, aqueous film-forming foam, and turnout gear
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c06322