Firefighter gear is full of cancer-causing PFAS. What can be done about it?
Last year, scientists released a study showing that turnout gear — that's the clothing firefighters wear into burning buildings — is filled with PFAS. All three layers of the standard protective gear tested for high levels of the chemicals, linked to a host of cancers and other health issues. That study followed a 2020 scientific paper that showed similar results.
Given that firefighters die of cancer more than anything else in the field, the news was heart-rending.