Read the full article by Lisa Fletcher, Andrea Nejman, and Larry Deal (WJLA)
“January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. The World Health Organization recently designated the job of firefighting as a carcinogen, putting it in the same category of risk as cigarettes. With young firefighters facing devastating diagnoses, we discovered failing protections, both in the gear they wear and in the insurance coverage for life-saving early screening.”
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“Diane Cotter transformed her knitting room into a war room, asking questions about why young firefighters were getting cancer at such a high rate. She estimates she sent 25,000 emails to leading politicians, scientists and advocates who would help her unravel the mystery.
Cotter ultimately discovered that embedded in firefighters’ turnout gear were fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), a class of waterproof materials long suspected to be carcinogens. These materials are perhaps more widely and infamously known as “forever chemicals” and have been found in everything from drinking water to food packaging and dental floss, posing varying degrees of risk to human health.” …