Open Letter to United States Congress On Firefighters and PFAS …
The past weeks I have had the opportunity to speak with Congressional members from Massachusetts and New Hampshire to share the issue of PFAS within the fire service. Here is a outline of our presentation.
Many of these discussions took place with the efforts of the Honorable Wendy E.N. Thomas, fmr New Hampshire State Rep and Scott Faber, Sr VP of Governmental Affairs, Environmental Working Group.
Firefighting gear is complex, technical equipment tha must meet NFPA (National Fire Protection Assn) standards and codes for structural firefighting. NFPA Committee 1971 has 16 voting members made up of firefighters, manufacturers, special experts and IAFF and NFPA members.
Every purchase order written for turnout gear, and AFFF will require it ‘ meet or exceed NFPA standards’.
Herein lines the problem, DuPont, Gore, Honeywell, Lion, are all voting members of these committees.
Turnout gear is made up of 3 layers;
The ‘outer shell’ the material the public sees, is the most highly fluoirinated textile ever seen by science;
Graham Pealsee conducted our own independent study done on turnout gear. This study was orchestrated by a fire-wife and a group of firefighters from Salem Ma, Northern Cali, and Chicago.
We had no help from institutions, we had no prior skills, this was the first in the world study of chemicals used on the material of the gear. The safety institution NFPA had 20 years to do such a study. They never did. They and our IAFF only sought and supported studies on the products of combustion or toxic smoke, which was fed to them by the chemical industry itself.
And, they willingly went along.
While DuPont, Honeywell, and W.L. Gore knew of the health effects of PFOA and Teflon, they remained silent while voting on materials to be sued for gear. DuPont would go on record stating only Nomex should be used for outer shell material. A DuPont fiber.
The gear must pass a stringent water resistance test per NFPA 1971
Manufacturers argue only PFAS will meet this standard.
Our study, conducted by Dr Pealee of Notre Dame found that 10 year old gear still had enough PFAS to meet NFPA 1971 for water resistance.
This causes us to be concerned that America’s Bravest have been used to support ‘shareholder value’ for DuPont. DuPont knew how much PFAS was going onto the coatings. There are no standards for limits.. only vague language that states ‘enough to meet the requirements’.
The inner component is called a ‘moisture barrier’ and not seen by the eye. It is made with a sheet of Teflon.
Made by W.L. Gore. Gore was notified in 2004 by the United Steelworkers Union that they had a ‘duty to warn’ the end user of the product that the laborers of the Washington Works Plant in WV found PFOA to be causing health issues in the union members.
Gore and DuPont ignored the orders to warn the end users.
Instead, in 2006 Gore would write language for NFPA stating that the material needed for moisture barriers must withstand a ‘xenon light test’.. https://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/AboutTheCodes/1971/1971-A2006-ROP.pdf
a test that only ‘Teflon’ material can meet.
The chemist Jeff Stull on the committee went on record stating the test was completely fallacious.
The standards was voted in by NFPA and firefighter have been wrapped in a Teflon burrito dipped in staggering amounts of PFOA and PFAS since.
The material closest to the firefighter’s skin is called the ‘thermal liner’.
Recently Lion Gear introduced a thermal liner called ‘Iso-Dry’ that is coated in PFAS. Lion Gear carriers many DoD contracts for firefighting gear.
https://www.lionprotects.com/innovations-isodri
It is our hope that with the DoD language to phase out PFAS in products purchased by the DoD this language will force manufacturer to make safer gear for us.
Currently the director of industry relations of Johnson Controls — makers of AFFF has been named to two leadership positions within the NFPA. He will ‘oversee code and development, administer rules and regulations, an support appeals process. He is a NFPA Research Foundation Board of Trustee, the ‘Independent foundation conducts research for the NFPA and entire fire protection industry’..
Sadly, Johnson Controls is being sued for poisoning the water in Wisconsin:
This is exactly why we need our legislators to hold the line for America’s Bravest, who trusted in their institutions like the NFPA, which has become a lobbying group for the chemical giants.
Diane Cotter
This is exactly why we need our legislators to hold the line for America’s Bravest, who trusted in their institutions like the NFPA, which has become a lobbying group for the chemical giants.
Diane Cotter
UPDATE: On January 28th, 2021, during the 55th Convention of the International Association of Firefighters — the membership passed Resolution 28, which states ‘The IAFF will no longer accept sponsorships from the manufacturers of gear and AFFF laden with PFAS’.. written by Captain Sean Mitchell of Nantucket Local 2509, and Jason Burns, fmr President of Fall River 1314 both of Massachusetts.
See both PFAS resolutions within this document:
#GreatestDeceptionEver
Thank you,
Diane Cotter
Lt. Paul Cotter, ret. Worcester, MA Fire Department — Local 1009