Firefighter turnout gear and PFAS
Firefighter turnout gear often contains PFAS. Federal tests found these chemicals in coats, pants, gloves and wildland gear. PFAS belong to a big family of chemicals used to treat fabric. In a 2020 Notre Dame study, fabric samples from six American textile manufacturers came back heavily treated with them. If cancer has touched you or someone you love after years spent in this gear, you may wonder whether the gear played a role and whether the cancer counts as covered.
Where PFAS turns up in turnout gear
NIST tested new coats and pants, and the outer 2 layers consistently held the most PFAS, per U.S. Fire Administration reporting. The single highest reading in new fabric was up to 1,520 micrograms per kilogram of one PFAS chemical, 6:2 fluorotelomer methacrylate (NIST report). That number says how much was in the fabric, not what it does to the body.
Older long-chain PFAS like PFOS showed up at far lower levels. Across every new fabric tested, they totaled under 2 micrograms per kilogram of fabric (NIST report).
A December 2024 NIST study measured PFAS in 25 of 32 textile samples taken from gloves, hoods and wildland gear. All of it was sold commercially: 4 glove types, 8 hood types and 9 types of wildland gear.
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Does turnout gear cause cancer in firefighters?
The federal tests prove PFAS is present in the gear, but they don't settle the health question. NIST says its work counts what PFAS are in the gear but does not weigh how risky they are for firefighters' health.
If you're thinking about a cancer claim, your state's rules usually matter more than the gear itself. Many states have what's called a presumption law. These laws treat certain firefighter cancers as job-related, so you need not trace your cancer to one specific exposure. 41 of the 50 states have one, though each state's list of covered cancers is different. Use the checker on our home page to see what your state's law covers for your cancer. Each state also has its own page with the details.
Cancers named in state presumption laws
Here is how many of the 41 state laws list each cancer. Some of the 41 laws don't name the cancer outright but still cover it when it can be tied to an exposure; that's the last column.
| Cancer | Laws that name it | More laws if tied to an exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Leukemia | 29 | 10 |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 28 | 12 |
| Bladder cancer | 26 | 14 |
| Brain cancer | 26 | 14 |
| Multiple myeloma | 26 | 13 |
| Colon or rectal cancer | 25 | 13 |
| Prostate cancer | 25 | 13 |
| Testicular cancer | 25 | 15 |
Have any laws changed because of PFAS in gear?
Massachusetts has. Under a law signed on August 15, 2024, sellers have had to tell buyers in writing when firefighter protective gear contains PFAS since January 1, 2025.
Then, as of January 1, 2027, Massachusetts bans knowingly selling firefighter protective gear that has PFAS intentionally added to it. On the federal side, the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act tasked NIST with looking into PFAS in firefighter gear.
If you're looking for information about cancer benefits, the home-page checker lets you look up your state and cancer type.
Common questions
Does washing turnout gear remove PFAS?
In NIST's wear-and-tear tests, washing changed little. Rubbing, weathering and heat all pushed the measured PFAS levels up (USFA). NIOSH still recommends cleaning gear and properly removing, bagging and storing it to limit exposure to fire-scene contaminants in general, not PFAS alone.
Which turnout gear has the least PFAS?
Of the items NIST tested in 2024, hoods mostly showed PFAS amounts too small to measure with any certainty (NIST).
Is more PFAS research coming?
Yes. NIST planned a 4-part study of turnout gear, and the U.S. Fire Administration shared the results of parts 1 and 2 in February 2024.
My state has no cancer presumption law. What now?
Other kinds of rules exist in some states. Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina offer a cancer insurance benefit instead. Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina pay a benefit only when the firefighter dies in the line of duty, South Dakota limits its rule to pensions, and Hawaii covers lung disease alone (IAFF).
Do these rules cover federal firefighters?
Federal firefighters have a rule of their own. A federal law names 14 cancers and asks for 5 years of service.