By Treven Pyles on February 06th, 2026 in PFAS/AFFF
Firefighters in high-risk industries are not only at risk when responding to explosive fires. They are also likely to be exposed to cancer-causing chemicals in their work environment, especially when firefighting foam is stored on-site. If you worked as an industrial firefighter in the manufacturing, mining, or aviation industry, you might qualify for an AFFF claim.
Industries with the most dangerous environments also require the most effective safeguards. For decades, companies have relied on Class B foam to extinguish liquid fires, which are difficult to extinguish with just water. To create the film-forming effect, a type of Class B foam called aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) relies on fluorine-based "forever chemicals" that have been linked to serious medical conditions, including different types of cancer.
In large factories that deal with chemicals and automotive parts for the transportation industry, companies would employ internal response teams known as industrial fire brigades. This team of firefighters focuses on mitigating hazards and responding to emergencies in the facility, particularly explosive liquid fires from oil, fuel, and other flammable liquids. Through emergency response or routine tests, an industrial firefighter in the manufacturing industry may have been exposed to AFFF for a long time.
The working environment of mining industries is often isolated and extremely hazardous. Mining sites that use volatile chemicals and fuel depots for extraction also need a robust firefighting system to combat liquid fires. Firefighters employed in this sector often have a hazardous materials specialist (hazmat specialist) qualification, which requires additional years of training on top of basic Firefighter I and Firefighter II certifications. If you've served as an industrial firefighter in this industry, you're likely to have years of cumulative AFFF exposure that qualify you for an AFFF claim if you have been diagnosed with linkable cancer.
Next to the oil and gas sector, the aviation industry has the highest demand for firefighting foam in both the private and military sectors. Airport firefighters are specifically trained to handle jet fuel fires and aircraft explosions. For several decades, different types of firefighting foam were used in the aviation industry, including AFFF and the alcohol resistant AFFF (AR-AFFF). If you served as an airport firefighter, you may have gotten cumulative exposure to "forever chemicals" in firefighting foam through training drills, live fire simulations, and multiple exercises that exposed you to gallons of foam.
For decades, industrial firefighters have kept plants, extraction sites, and airports safe from damage by preventing and combating liquid fires. While firefighters have worked on keeping work environments safe, cumulative exposure to AFFF may have led to the accumulation of toxic chemicals in their blood, leading to increased risk of cancer or thyroid disease. If you have been diagnosed with an AFFF-associated cancer, please contact ELG Law to get an evaluation of your case. Our AFFF lawyers only need to evaluate your employment history and medical documents to check your eligibility.