By Diana Rohlman, Saaddedine (Buddy) Dichari, Anna Naughton, Erik Oatfield, Kim A Anderson
Over the past decade, concerns about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also called “forever chemicals,” have been on the rise.
PFAS, used since the 1950s, are found in firefighting foams, water-resistant clothing, personal care products, electronics and nonstick cookware. They are major components in firefighting foams, and turnout gear for firefighters is treated with PFAS to make it water resistant.
Research has indicated that levels of PFAS in firefighters may be higher than levels in members of the general public (Mazumder et al., 2023). Some PFAS, specifically PFOA, have been linked to mesothelioma, prostate cancer, testicular cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Mazumder et al., 2023). Firefighters are at increased risk of these cancers, raising concerns that PFAS exposure may contribute to the higher burden of cancer in firefighters.
In 2022, the International Association of Fire Fighters and Metro Chiefs issued a statement highlighting their concern about PFAS in turnout gear. A 2024 study found PFAS in turnout gear, suggesting that PFAS could volatilize off gear and be breathed by firefighters (Maizel et al., 2024).
Trainee firefighters spend up to 8 hours a day wearing turnout gear. While retired drill sets are used, these may have more PFAS compared to new gear (Maizel et al., 2024). At Portland Fire & Rescue (PFR) in Oregon, this raised concerns that use of old gear could cause increased occupational exposure to PFAS. PFR reached out to the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University (OSU) to conduct a pilot study. The team consisted of two firefighters (PFR) and three toxicologists (OSU).
Study design
We wanted to understand if turnout gear contributes to PFAS exposure. Several firefighter trainees participated in this study.
One of the firefighters on the team, who did not serve in any training capacity at PFR and who did not oversee any of the trainees, served as the study coordinator. The study coordinator introduced the study to trainees and asked if they wanted to participate. For confidentiality, trainees signaled their interest in participating by writing their name and either yes or no on a piece of paper they placed into a locked box.
We originally planned to provide all trainees with silicone tags to protect the privacy of those participating (those not participating would receive dummy tags), but all trainees chose to participate, and no dummy tags were used.
Training classes are taught for 10 hours, four days a week. We identified two sampling periods: three days when turnout gear was worn almost continuously (up to 24 hours across the three days) and three days when no turnout gear was worn. Trainees wore personal passive samplers in the shape of a dog tag on top of their shirt (no turnout gear) or beneath their turnout gear (Figure 1). Participants wore different silicone tags each time. They put them on at the start of each class and removed them at the end of class. When not in use, the tags were stored in air-tight bags. The silicone dog tags were returned to OSU and analyzed through a commercial laboratory, using the EPA method 537M.
Figure 1. Trainees wore one tag without turnout gear (left) and a different tag when wearing turnout gear (right).
Study results
There are many ways a firefighter could be exposed to PFAS, for example, from touching turnout gear or firefighting foams or breathing in PFAS from the air, possibly as they release from turnout gear or the foams. In the first case, it is unlikely that much PFAS would enter the skin from the turnout gear, as PFAS are applied to the outer side of the gear, not the skin-side. We focused on PFAS released from turnout gear and possibly breathed in by firefighters. There is not a lot of information in this area.
We used a standard method to look for 33 PFAS. These chemicals are less likely to be volatile, but this method includes the PFAS reported to be higher in firefighters (Mazumder et al., 2023; Mitchell et al., 2025).
Across all timepoints and all participants, we only saw six PFAS (Table 1). Prior research found seven PFAS commonly detected in the blood of firefighters: PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFOS and PFHps (Mazumder et al., 2023; Mitchell et al., 2025). These chemicals were included in the analysis, but only one, PFOS, was detected, in 1 tag. PFOA that has been associated with different types of cancer was not detected in any of the tags. We saw no statistically significant difference in the types or amounts of PFAS between when trainees wore turnout gear and when they did not (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Five PFAS were detected across all study participants without turnout gear, and three were detected when turnout gear was worn. This is not statistically significant. We also looked at the total PFAS concentration (adding up the amount of detected PFAS). We did not see any statistically significant differences.
We asked all study participants if they would like to know the results of the study. Everyone said yes. Individualized reports were emailed to participants. The report was three pages: The first page included a brief description of the study and why it was conducted, followed by a simple table that described which PFAS, if any, were found in the two tags worn by the participant. Each PFAS was accompanied by a brief description (Table 1). The second page was a graphical overview of the study and results, followed by a PFAS infographic on page three.
Table 1:
Discussion
Turnout gear is retired when it no longer meets performance standards (Stull, 2022). This is influenced by several factors: frequency of laundering, fireground temperatures, storage conditions, ultraviolet light exposure, and general wear-and-tear (Stull, 2022). Many of these conditions were tested by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to determine if PFAS concentrations changed. The NIST report found that levels of PFAS in turnout gear are not consistent and vary by textile type (Maizel et al., 2024). Notably, the NIST report found, under laboratory conditions, older, weathered gear had higher amounts of PFAS compared to unused gear. However, they used a chemical extraction process to pull PFAS directly out of the turnout gear using solvent. In contrast, we were interested in seeing if any PFAS released passively from the gear through airborne movement.
Our study found that the PFAS reported in firefighter blood and serum may not be coming from the gear through off-gassing, since we only found one of these chemicals, PFOS, in one tag (Table 1). Thus, while PFAS are on the gear, and levels may increase over time, firefighters may not be exposed to them.
A significant limitation to this research is that we did not look for highly volatile PFAS or the possibility for PFAS to degrade into other chemicals. These chemicals are harder to evaluate and less is known about them. However, we were able to test for the PFAS that have been associated with increased risks of cancer, and we did not see these PFAS in our study.
Recommendations
For firefighters and training leaders who may be worried about PFAS in turnout gear, there are several options for reducing exposure to PFAS and other chemicals:
- Wash gear regularly to reduce PFAS and other contaminants (Maizel et al., 2024; Rohlman and Poutasse, 2021).
- Replace gear with frayed edges. Frayed gear may increase exposure to PFAS and can be a safety hazard.
- Consider fluorine-free gear options which will have substantially reduced PFAS levels.
REFERENCES
- Rohlman, D and Poutasse, C. (2021). The invisible danger: Studying PAH exposure on the fireground and after the call. FireRescue1.
- Stull, J and Stull, G. (2021). Gear expectations: Firefighters expect more from their turnouts. FireRescue1.
- Stull, J and Stull, G. (2022). Turnout gear service life: Will we ever have clear ‘keep or retire’ guidelines? FireRescue1.
- Maizel, A, Thompson, A, Tighe, M et al. (2024). Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Firefighter Turnout Gear Textiles Exposed to Abrasion, Elevated Temperature, Laundering, or Weathering, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.
- Mazumder, NUS, Hossain, MT, Jahura, FT et al. (2023). Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review. Frontiers in materials, 10, p.1143411.
- Mitchell, CL, Hollister, J, Fisher, JM et al. (2025). Differences in serum concentrations of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances by occupation among firefighters, other first responders, healthcare workers, and other essential workers in Arizona, 2020–2023. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 35, 437–444.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Diana Rohlman is a toxicologist at Oregon State University. She works with communities, including firefighters, to understand the chemicals they may be exposed to, and identify strategies to reduce exposure and improve health.
Battalion Chief Erik Oatfield is a 25-year veteran of Portland (Oregon) Fire & Rescue, currently serving as department safety chief.
Saaddedine Dichari, MS, is a lieutenant/paramedic with Portland Fire & Rescue, where he has worked for nine years.
Kim Anderson is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University. She is the 2016 OSU Alumni Distinguished Professor and the recipient of the OSU 2017 Innovator of the Year award. Dr. Anderson has been developing passive samplers since 1999, and in 2008 developed the personal silicone wristband sampler technology to measure individual chemical exposure.
Anna Naughton is the Program Coordinator for the Food Safety and Environmental Stewardship Program at Oregon State University. With a background in corporate product stewardship and chemical inventory management, she provides support for operational logistics.
