If you were diagnosed with cancer after regular exposure to AFFF firefighting foam, you may be eligible to file an AFFF cancer lawsuit. Plaintiffs are pursuing dangerous product lawsuits against manufacturing companies that knowingly endangered the public
Grave allegations of multiple cancers and other illnesses associated with a specific firefighting foam containing toxic chemicals are soaring. The fire-suppressing foam is called aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF.
Marc Whitehead & Associates attorneys are handling firefighting foam lawsuits throughout the United States. We represent civilian or military firefighters, fire trainees, emergency response teams, and others who endured harmful exposure from AFFF in their fight for justice through individual cash settlements.
AFFF has been used for decades to fight hazardous Class B fires caused by flammable or combustible liquids such as petroleum, solvents, diesel, jet fuel, and oil. Mass litigation against the foam manufacturers continues as more information is discovered in each individual AFFF cancer lawsuit.
Did AFFF Firefighting Foam Cause Your Cancer?
Lawsuits on behalf of AFFF cancer victims aim to hold the manufacturers and sellers of the dangerous foam accountable for the inexcusable, long-running course of toxic exposure. The lawsuit has named dozens of companies as defendants, two of which are the world’s largest chemical manufacturers, 3M and DuPont.
If you were exposed to AFFF and later developed cancer, our lawyers can help. We encourage you to contact our firm today for a free legal consultation about your situation.
Learn if you have a case under the current firefighting foam multi-district litigation. Wherever you live, our AFFF cancer lawsuit attorneys are prepared to fight for your rights to maximum compensation.
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
AFFF fire suppressant foam contains dangerous materials known as PFAS.
Perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that include the following harmful substances:
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and
- Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
These substances are stubbornly slow to degrade, earning them the title “forever chemicals.” PFAS in the firefighting foam – PFOA and PFOS – are the carcinogens at the heart of the AFFF cancer lawsuits.
PFOA and PFOS have been phased out of most U.S. production since the early 2000s – but the final products, like the foam, remain largely in use. Other PFAS are still commonly manufactured.
How Is Firefighting Foam Used?
AFFF is applied by mixing a foam concentrate with water to make the foam solution. When applied to a fire, the AFFF foam solution is aerated at the nozzle, yielding finished foam. Thousands of gallons of foam solution may be applied during a given event.
Firefighting foams are released into the environment in many ways:
- low volume releases of foam concentrate during storage, transfer, or equipment calibration
- moderate volume discharge of foam solution for apparatus testing
- high-volume, broadcast discharge of foam solution for firefighting and fire suppression/prevention for emergency response
- periodic, high volume, broadcast discharge for fire training
- leaks from foam distribution piping between storage and pumping locations and from storage tanks and railcars.
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Types of Cancer and Illnesses Caused by AFFF Containing PFAS
When our bodies are exposed to the PFAS within the foam, toxins build up for the long term, often causing disastrous health effects. The science linking firefighting foams containing PFOA and PFOS to various cancers has become overwhelming.
According to the EPA, peer-reviewed studies have linked PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS to multiple cancers, including testicular, breast, bladder, pancreatic, prostate, liver, and kidney cancer, among others. PFAS are also linked to high cholesterol, thyroid disease, liver damage, decreased fertility, low birth weights, developmental effects of delays in children, asthma, allergies, and reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections.
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How Are AFFF Lawsuit Settlement Amounts Determined?
The lawsuits have been consolidated into multi-district litigation, or MDL. While the MDL is ongoing as of March 2023, no settlements have yet been reached. Settlement amounts at this point are educated predictions. But as Bloomberg Law reported in 2022, “companies face billions in damages as PFAS lawsuits flood courts.” The first bellwether trial will happen in April 2023 and will be a big step toward a global settlement understanding.
A tiered ranking system will be the basis of AFFF cancer lawsuit settlement amounts.
Simply put, people with the strongest, most substantial AFFF lawsuits will be ranked in the top tier (Tier 1) and likely receive the highest payout. These cases would entail long-term or recurring occupational exposure to the firefighting foam, buffered by a medical diagnosis of the more disabling or severe forms of cancer tied to AFFF and PFAS.
AFFF cancer lawsuits filed on a lower-tiered claim (Tiers 2 & 3) will generally include individuals who sustained less occupational exposure, or a form of cancer considered less severe.
We Will Help You Fight for Justice and Accountability
Dangerous and defective products harm and kill thousands of Americans each year. When companies know their product is unsafe and fail to warn the public, they should be held accountable for their actions.
As the Minnesota Reformer recently affirmed, the firefighting foam’s dangers have been known to 3M and DuPont for decades. As early as the 1950s, company scientists discovered that certain chemicals used in the AFFF foam were accumulating in the bodies of humans and animals. But the manufacturers concealed these and many more studies from their workforce and the public for years.
We are here to help you prove that the defendants were negligent in their product design, testing, manufacturing, and/or marketing and that their negligence resulted in your injury and monetary losses.
Talk to our dedicated AFFF cancer lawsuit team today.
Reference:
Interstate Technology Regulatory Council; History and Use of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS);
https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/fact-sheets/
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