Railroad firefighters (Railroad industry)

Researchers found significantly higher levels of PFAS compounds in firefighters' blood than in other workers, indicating occupational exposure via AFFF and turnout gear. Organs and tissues accumulate chemicals over time, long after a fire has been put out. Firefighters breathe and carry home PFAS from training exercises and equipment maintenance at fire stations.

There are particular dangers associated with AFFF exposure for railroad firefighters:

• Applying foam directly onto fires where heat vaporizes PFAS compounds
• Wearing turnout gear soaked with foam during extended fire operations
• Training with AFFF in enclosed spaces where ventilation cannot eliminate vapors
• Cleaning equipment and gear contaminated with foam residue after responses
• Working in fire stations where PFAS accumulates in dust and surfaces
• Responding to fuel spills that require repeated foam applications for hours

PFAS exposure has been linked to adverse health outcomes, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer, reproductive effects, hormonal disruption, and immune system disruption, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The International Agency for Research on Cancer reports that PFOA and PFOS are carcinogenic to humans. A review of occupational exposure studies found that elevated PFAS levels are associated with an increased cancer risk among firefighters.

Years or decades after their careers end, railroad firefighters develop cancer when PFAS concentrations trigger cellular mutations. Men in their thirties who responded to fuel fires in their twenties are developing testicular cancer. Firefighters who applied foam to locomotive fires during their careers develop kidney tumors. Former responders who handled contaminated equipment without proper protection are more likely to develop prostate cancer and thyroid disease.

Relevant job titles

• Railroad firefighter
• Rail yard firefighter
• Locomotive fire responder
• Railroad emergency responder