If you or a loved one suffered from cancer or other injury after being exposed to firefighting foam, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a firefighting foam lawsuit or settlement.
A team of products liability injury lawyers and class action attorneys is investigating firefighting foam lawsuit claims of individuals who were diagnosed with cancer (or suffered from other illness or disease) after using, working with or being exposed to firefighting foam or PFAS chemicals (a/k/a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).
Fire fighting foam (also known as Aqueous Film Forming Foam or AFFF foam) is a synthetic fire suppression or fire retardant spray foam used to help extinguish hydrocarbon fuel fires, jet fuel fires, petroleum fires and other high-hazard flammable liquid fires. It works by creating a blanket that cuts off fuel from the oxygen needed to burn.
Unfortunately, many fire fighting foams have contained fluorinated surfactants (i.e., toxic chemical substances that lower the surface tension between liquids and reduce the surface area in which a fire can spread) including PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS.
Firefighting Foam Lawsuit Claims
Fire fighting foam lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include claims of individuals who, after using or working with AFFF Firefighting Foam or being exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals like PFOA and PFOS, were diagnosed with cancer or suffered from other health conditions, diseases or illnesses.
Various firefighting foam lawsuits filed in federal court have been consolidated into a multi-district litigation (MDL), styled Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2873, U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina (Judge Richard M. Gergel). The firefighting foam lawsuits involve allegations that firefighters were exposed to PFAS chemicals via aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) used to extinguish fires and by wearing certain protective clothing and gear that allegedly contained PFAS. The firefighting foam lawsuits also allege that AFFFs used at airports, military bases, or other locations to extinguish liquid fuel fires caused the release of PFAS chemicals into local groundwater and contaminated drinking water supplies.
Defendants in the AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits have included DuPont, 3M, BASF, Tyco Fire Products, Chemours, National Foam, Chemgaurd, Dynax, Kidde, Raytheon, Clariant, Arkema, Honeywell, Corteva, Chubb Fire, Carrier Fire & Security, AGC Chemicals, the United States of America and various State governments, among others.
AFFF Firefighting Foam Cancer Cases
Firefighting foam cancer lawsuit claims potentially being investigated include claims of individuals who, after exposure to firefighting foam, suffered from cancer and/or other types of injury including:
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Liver cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Ulcerative colitis
- Other types of cancer
- Death
- Other PFAS injury lawsuit claims
- Other AFFF foam lawsuits
Exposure To AFFF Firefighting Foam & PFAS
Individuals who may have been exposed to firefighting foam or PFAS, PFOA and PFOS may include:
- Firefighters
- Firefighter trainees and trainers
- Volunteer firemen and firewomen
- Members of the Military or Armed Forces
- Air Force Fire Protection Specialists
- Shipboard firefighters
- Boatswain’s mate
- Electrician’s mate
- Machinist mate
- Boiler technicians
- Seaman
- Firefighting specialists
- Fire chief
- Fire officer
- Fire instructor
- Navy Damage Controlmen
- Coast Guard Damage Controlmen
- Army firefighters (MOS 12M)
- Air Force Fire Protection (3E7X1)
- Marine Corps (USMC 7051)
- Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel
- Emergency Response and Disaster Preparedness personnel
- CBRN defense specialists
- Interior communications electrician
- Maintenance personnel
- HazMat technician
- Hazardous materials technician
- Airport firefighter
- Other airport workers
- Industrial/manufacturing workers
- Fuel farm workers
- Fuel handlers
- Employees who wore firefighting turn out gear
- Employees who worked in facilities handling foam or PFAS
- Residents who lived near foam or PFAS contaminated sites
- Individuals who drank PFAS polluted water
- Other individuals exposed to AFFF foam and/or PFAS
AFFF foam has often been used where a significant flammable liquid hazard was present, including the following locations, among others:
- Chemical plants
- Flammable liquid storage and processing facilities
- Merchant operations (oil tankers, offshore platforms)
- Fire departments
- Firefighting training centers
- Oil refineries, terminals, and bulk fuel storage farms
- Aviation operations (aircraft rescue and firefighting, hangars)
- Air crash sites
- Military facilities and bases
- Military airfield or flight deck
- Other locations
Time Is Limited To File A Firefighting Foam Lawsuit
Deadlines known as statutes of limitation and statutes of repose may limit the amount of time that individuals have to file an AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit to try to recover compensation for injuries they claimed to have suffered (e.g., kidney cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, and thyroid cancer, among others) after being exposed to firefighting foam or PFAS chemicals.
This means that if an AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit case is not filed before the applicable time limit or deadline, the injured party may be prohibited from ever pursuing litigation or taking legal action regarding the fire fighting foam injury claim. That is why it is important to connect with a firefighting foam injury lawyer or attorney as soon as possible.
If you or someone you love were diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to Firefighting Foam or PFAS, PFOS or PFOA, you may be entitled to compensation from a Firefighting Foam lawsuit or settlement. Contact an injury lawyer to request a free case review.
*If you or a loved one are experiencing health issues, side effects or complications from a product, we urge you to promptly consult with your doctor or physician for an evaluation.
**The listing of a company or entity (e.g., DuPont, 3M, BASF, Tyco Fire Products, Chemours, National Foam, Chemgaurd, Dynax, Kidde, Raytheon, Clariant, Arkema, Honeywell, Corteva, Chubb Fire, Carrier Fire & Security, AGC Chemicals, and the USA, etc.) or product (i.e., Fire fighting Foam or Fire Suppression Foam) is not meant to state or imply that the company or entity acted illegally or improperly or that the product is unsafe or defective; rather only that an investigation may be, is or was being conducted to determine whether legal rights have been violated.
***The use of any trademarks, tradenames or service marks is solely for product identification and/or informational purposes.
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