23. PFAS Exposure in Firefighting Foam to Veterans and Firefighters Pt. 1

Kevin Ferrara is considered a PFAS subject matter expert who has 34-years of fire service experience, and agile Fire Protection and Emergency Service (FPES) consulting expertise, to emergency service affiliated organizations around the world.

In the episode we speak about Kevin’s personal experience and exposure with PFAS during his years of service and specifically Aqueous Film Forming Foam or (AFFF) which is a fire suppressant used by firefighters. In order to make the mixture foamy and create a film that helps extinguish fires, AFFF contains chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

Two of the most common types of PFAS found in AFFF are perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and/or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These chemicals are human-made compounds and don’t occur naturally in the environment. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, they are harmful if a person suffers long-term exposure. The chemicals build up in the body and may cause negative health effects, including cancer.

Lab studies have found that PFOS and PFOA are toxic to animals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found evidence suggesting that PFOS and PFOA may cause cancer.

With Kevin we talk about his experience as a firefighter, risks involved with AFFF, how people can test for exposure, his advocacy about it, and his response from the military, fire departments, and the VA.

Contact and connect with Kevin: kferrara@afso21.com

AFFF: https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/afff/

PFAS in blood: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/blood-testing.html

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm