The toxicity, mobility, and bioaccumulation potential of PFAS chemicals make it a simmering threat that should be mitigated to minimize the spread of adverse health outcomes in humans and negative environmental impacts.
If you are a civilian or military firefighter who was exposed to PFOS and PFOA from AFFF and subsequently developed kidney cancer, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
A proven connection between PFOA & PFOS and kidney cancer diagnosis
PFAS are environmental pollutants with an important bioaccumulation potential. There is a growing body of evidence on PFAS exposure and kidney function, particularly uric acid levels, with several recent reports from national and international authorities and systematic reviews having undertaken analyses of the epidemiological literature on PFAS exposure, uric acid, and kidney disease. Of particular concern, is the fact that children are exposed to these chemicals to a greater extent than adults.
PFAS exposure and kidney metabolism and function - national and international reports:
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that there is "suggestive evidence for carcinogenic potential" for PFOA in humans due to the concern raised by some scientific studies.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Draft Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls: "human studies have evaluated the risk of kidney disease, alterations in renal function, damage to the kidney, and alterations in uric acid levels"
- International Agency for Research on Cancer classified PFOA as a Group 2B carcinogen, i.e., possibly carcinogenic to humans, primarily for kidney cancer and testicular cancer due to some limited evidence in humans of carcinogenic potential.
PFOA & PFOS increase the risk of developing kidney cancer by 50%
A growing number of scientists and health professionals have reported that exposure to PFAS may hinder kidney function. Multiple studies of occupational workers exposed to very high levels of PFOA have shown a connection between PFOA and kidney cancer.
The weight of the evidence shows that PFAS may also be associated with poorer overall kidney health in humans, marked by a significant link between PFAS exposure with a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease. Kidney cancer rarely causes symptoms in its early stages, it has a latency of 15 years when it is caused by AFFF exposure, but it can be shorter for aggressive cancer types.