Who qualifies
Worked with fire foam and have cancer? Keep work and health records.
Updated Oct 4, 202615 sources
See If You Qualify
Free · No obligation · About 2 minutes
Updated Oct 4, 202615 sources
This may apply to you if
These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.
Richard M. Gergel · United States District Court for the District of South Carolina · United States District Judge
Finding: The August 31, 2026 order sets expert-motion dates for thyroid and liver cancer. It does not set an individual payment.
District of South Carolina: CMO33F (opens in a new tab) · Aug 31, 2026 · Checked Oct 3, 2026
International Agency for Research on Cancer · World Health Organization · Publisher of the cancer hazard assessment
Finding: PFOA is classed as able to cause cancer; PFOS as possibly able to cause cancer. The classifications do not measure individual risk at a given dose.
IARC: PFOA/PFOS evaluation Q&A (opens in a new tab) · Dec 1, 2023 · Checked Oct 3, 2026
International Agency for Research on Cancer · 2023
Read the source: PFOA and PFOS cancer hazard evaluation (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026
Not covered by this case
The process
You answer a few questions
About two minutes. Nothing is sent until you agree on the last step and press submit.
A lawyer looks at it
A lawyer at the firm reads your answers and checks them against the current case criteria.
The firm decides and gets in touch
If the firm takes your case, you get the terms in writing to read before you sign. You can always say no.
Worked with fire foam and have cancer? Keep work and health records. Your job title alone cannot decide a claim. Ask for a review of your own facts.
Have a cancer diagnosis and past contact with fire foam? A lawyer can check your work history and reports. This page cannot decide whether a company owes you money.
NIOSH identifies firefighters among workers who may have higher PFAS exposure. That is a workplace concern, not proof of any one cancer’s cause. Record the task and product if known.
Keep duty dates, foam names and your cancer report. Mark what you know and what is uncertain. Ask your provider for missing health records.
Useful preparation may include incident logs, training dates and labels you already have. Do not guess a brand from color or a job title. Keep your diagnosis date separate from the dates of work.
Ask a lawyer to check the time limit for your own claim. Your dates and the law matter. A court schedule is not your filing deadline.
The August 2026 order sets expert-motion dates for thyroid and liver cancer. Those dates concern litigation work by counsel. They do not tell every firefighter when to file or when a payment will arrive.
Ask for the fee and case costs in writing. Ask what you may owe if the claim loses. This page does not quote a firm’s price.
The ABA model rule describes written terms for a fee based on a recovery and how expenses are handled. Ask about first contact, deductions and costs after a loss before signing. State rules and your agreement still need review.
Evidence links some PFAS with certain harms. It does not decide your cause. A blood result cannot predict your future health or pick a treatment.
IARC evaluates cancer hazards for PFOA and PFOS using multiple types of evidence. Its finding is not a rule that every foam exposure caused cancer. Ask a clinician how your work history affects the discussion of care.
NIOSH describes potential work exposure and ATSDR describes other routes. A claim review should not treat all past contact as identical.
Make a short list of jobs, dates and products. Ask who will handle your claim and receive files. Keep your care plan with your health team.
If you already have a lawyer, check with that lawyer before opening another case. Court contact guidance is for pending litigation, not a replacement for personal representation. Confirm the next step and privacy terms before sending records.
Job title alone does not prove the cause of cancer. A blood PFAS result does not show cancer.
Ask the reviewing lawyer which facts and records are needed. This page does not supply a list of diseases every firm accepts or a chemical level that guarantees a claim.
Use the disease name in your report. Tell the lawyer which product details you do not know.
A different tumor type or an uncertain product needs its own review. Do not change a diagnosis or guess a manufacturer to fit an online checklist. Ask which missing fact the reviewer needs to assess.
Ask who will see your details. Ask what steps follow and how they will use your files.
Before using a form, confirm the firm handling the review and how records will be shared. This page does not verify a response time, automatic acceptance or confidentiality of an actual contact channel.
The review is free and private. Asking for it doesn’t commit you to anything.
Register your interestFirefighters have the most direct and intense exposure to AFFF of any occupational group. During training exercises — which occurred multiple times per month at many departments — firefighters waded through pools of AFFF, sprayed it from hoses at close range, and cleaned up foam residue by hand. PFAS were absorbed through the skin, inhaled as foam mist, and inadvertently ingested. This occurred for years or decades without chemical-resistant PPE, because AFFF was not labeled or treated as a toxic substance. Studies show firefighters' PFAS blood levels are 2 to 10 times higher than the general population. Career firefighters with the most years of AFFF training have the highest levels.
Yes. Active-duty firefighters can file AFFF lawsuits against the manufacturers of AFFF (3M, DuPont, Tyco, BASF) while continuing to serve. The lawsuits target the chemical companies that manufactured and sold toxic AFFF, not fire departments or municipalities. Filing a lawsuit does not affect your employment, pension, or benefits. Many active firefighters are plaintiffs in MDL 2873. If you are currently experiencing health issues linked to AFFF exposure, you should consult both your department physician and an AFFF attorney. AFFF lawsuits and workers' compensation claims are separate legal processes — you can pursue both simultaneously.
The cancers most strongly linked to AFFF/PFAS exposure in firefighters include kidney cancer (RR=1.74, IARC Group 1 for PFOA), testicular cancer (RR=2.22, highest relative risk), thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and liver cancer. The C8 Science Panel also established "probable links" to thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis. NIOSH studies have identified elevated rates of multiple cancers in firefighters broadly, including mesothelioma, bladder cancer, and several digestive cancers. The AFFF litigation specifically targets cancers linked to PFAS exposure through the C8 Science Panel findings and IARC classifications. Firefighters diagnosed with any cancer who handled AFFF should consult an attorney to evaluate their claim.
Checked against 13 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated
How we make moneyPeople's Justice research team · Updated Oct 4, 2026