AFFF and kidney cancer
If you worked with AFFF firefighting foam and later got kidney cancer, you're right to ask whether the two are connected. Several studies point that way, though the science isn't settled.
AFFF is a firefighting foam used at airports and military bases that contains chemicals called PFAS. Back in 2023, IARC, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, decided that one of these chemicals, PFOA, causes cancer in humans. It called the human evidence for kidney cancer "limited" but counted it as part of that decision. Firefighters have sued over this by the thousands, and 24 states list kidney cancer in their firefighter cancer laws.
Is PFAS a cause of kidney cancer?
The clearest evidence concerns PFOA. That 2023 IARC decision put PFOA in its top group, the one for substances known to cause cancer in people. Human studies of kidney and testicular cancer were part of the basis. That same year, IARC also, for the first time, rated a related chemical, PFOS, as possibly able to cause cancer (National Cancer Institute).
Several studies point the same way. The most direct one looked at saved blood samples from 324 people who went on to get kidney cancer and 324 matched people who did not. The higher a person's PFOA level, the higher their risk (National Cancer Institute).
| Study | Year | The result |
|---|---|---|
| C8 Science Panel, created after DuPont settled a court case | 2012 | Concluded that PFOA was more likely than not tied to kidney cancer, which is how the panel defined a "probable link" (C8 Science Panel) |
| Blood study by the National Cancer Institute | 2020 | Those with the highest PFOA levels ran more than twice the kidney cancer risk of those with the lowest, even when the diagnosis came 8 or more years after the blood draw (National Cancer Institute) |
| Pooled analysis of 2 large studies | 2022 | Kidney cancer risk roughly doubled as PFOA in the blood rose from a typical amount to a fairly high one. Beyond that level, the risk did not climb any further (EPA) |
| Review of 11 studies combined | 2023 | PFAS exposure tied to an 18% higher kidney cancer risk, though the authors warned that other factors could have skewed the results (PubMed) |
The science is not finished, though. A 2023 follow-up in a group with more racial and ethnic diversity found no overall connection between PFOA and kidney cancer, with only weak signals in certain subgroups and some hints involving PFNA, a different PFAS chemical (National Cancer Institute). Former C8 panel members wrote in 2020 that the evidence supported a link between PFOA and kidney cancer but did not prove it (Environment International). A separate December 2024 commentary argued that IARC had overstated the cancer evidence for PFOA and PFOS (Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology).
The claims line: +1 833 853 0496
Where the foam touched firefighters
Between 1988 and 2018 the FAA made airports use PFAS foam, so airport firefighters have solid documentation of exposure (Weitz & Luxenberg). National Cancer Institute research on active-duty Air Force servicemen found that firefighters had more of certain PFAS chemicals in their blood (National Cancer Institute).
The foam is not the only way PFAS gets in. Studies in recent years show firefighters carry more PFAS in their blood overall, and turnout gear, dust at fire scenes and dust at the station are all suspected sources (PMC). Firefighting itself now carries a Group 1 cancer hazard label, the top category (Environmental Research).
Where the AFFF lawsuit stands
In December 2018 the federal system combined AFFF cases into a single proceeding in South Carolina, so shared evidence and pretrial rulings go through one judge (Harris Beach Murtha). Richard M. Gergel is the judge in charge (U.S. District Court). As of October 2026 about 15,264 cases remained pending (Drugwatch).
The first test trial for personal injuries was scheduled for October 2025 and was expected to center on a kidney cancer claim. It never went ahead, and no new date has been chosen (MDL Update). Settlement talks under a court mediator are ongoing, but as of June 2026 nothing had been settled for personal injury claims, kidney cancer included (Lawsuit Information Center).
You may have seen headlines about 3M's $10.3 billion payment. That money was meant for public water systems, not people: according to one law firm, the deal did not release or block any firefighter's individual injury claim (Weitz & Luxenberg). If you have not filed, two court details matter. A filing window shut on September 5, 2025, and cases filed later face extra requirements (ELG Law). Then in June 2026 the judge named a special master to deal with dismissal requests, and he anticipates defendants will ask to dismiss roughly 8,000 suits (Robert King Law Firm).
What a settlement might pay
Nobody can say yet what a kidney cancer case will be worth, since nothing has settled. Lawyers for plaintiffs put the strongest cases, meaning long exposure on the job plus kidney or testicular cancer, somewhere between $200,000 and $600,000. Treat that as a guess, not a promise (Lawsuit Information Center).
Does your state's law cover kidney cancer?
Alongside the AFFF litigation, your state's firefighter cancer law may offer another route to help. In 41 states, a firefighter cancer law assumes certain cancers came from the job (IAFF).
Twenty-four of those states spell out kidney cancer by name: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. In 14 more states it is covered when tied to your exposure, so you may have to prove the link rather than have it assumed for you. In the other 3, kidney cancer is not part of the presumption.
Some states take other routes. Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina provide a cancer insurance benefit rather than a presumption. In Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, the only provision is a line-of-duty death benefit. South Dakota's rule is pension-only, while Hawaii's covers lung disease yet leaves out cancer (IAFF). For federal firefighters, a separate federal law lists kidney cancer among 14 covered cancers and sets a five-year service requirement (IAFF). This site gives each state's full rule a page of its own, and the checker on our home page answers by state and cancer. When you have your answer, the next step is a call to our claims line.