Firefighters class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Connecticut firefighting organizations filed a class action lawsuit against several chemical manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont.
- Why: 3M and DuPont allegedly knew the products used to make their firefighting protective gear contained dangerous levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances yet failed to warn firefighters about the risk.
- Where: The firefighters PFAS lawsuit was filed in Connecticut federal court.
A new Connecticut firefighters class action lawsuit alleges their protective gear contained dangerous levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
The Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association, along with five firefighter unions and five individual firefighters, filed the class action lawsuit against chemical manufacturers 3M Company, DuPont De Nemours Inc. and others.
The firefighters class action lawsuit alleges the defendants misrepresented their chemicals and materials as safe and failed to warn customers about the substantial risks to human health.
PFAS are a class of synthetic chemical compounds dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not break down over time. These qualities cause them to persist in human bodies and the environment for extremely long periods of time, the firefighters class action lawsuit says.
PFAS can be absorbed through the skin, ingested or inhaled, according to the lawsuit. They can also spread from mothers to babies through the placenta or through breast milk.
PFAS exposure is linked to various cancers, tumors, liver damage, endocrine disorders, immune system disorders, high cholesterol, decreased fertility and birth defects, the firefighters class action lawsuit states.
Defendants failed to warn about potential firefighters PFAS exposure, plaintiffs say
Firefighters wear turnout gear to protect themselves on the job, according to the class action lawsuit. Turnout gear includes helmets, hoods, jackets, pants, boots and gloves.
Turnout gear components include three layers: a water repellant outer shell, a middle moisture barrier and an inner thermal liner, the firefighters PFAS lawsuit claims. It says scientific research confirmed all three layers of this protective gear contain significant quantities of PFAS.
Exposure to the PFAS in their gear allegedly caused firefighters to experience “subclinical cellular changes in their bodies which put them at risk of developing adverse health conditions, including but not limited to various cancers,” according to the class action lawsuit.
The plaintiffs filed the firefighters PFAS lawsuit on behalf of all Connecticut firefighters who have worn turnout gear manufactured, designed or sold by any of the defendants.
A South Carolina federal judge preliminarily approved a $750 million settlement over allegations Tyco produced firefighting foam with PFAS that ended up in public water systems.
Do you think the defendants should be found liable for failing to warn firefighters about potential PFAS exposure? Join the discussion in the comments.
The firefighters are represented by Ian W. Sloss, Jennifer Sclar and Kate Sayed of Silver Golub & Teitell LLP.
The firefighters PFAS class action lawsuit is Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut, et al. v. 3M Company, et al., Case No. 3:24-cv-01101, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
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