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Oregon lawmakers hear calls to pursue PFAS-free firefighter gear after IARC classification
Summary
Lawmakers and fire-service representatives urged the Senate Committee on Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs to adopt House Concurrent Resolution 2, which supports research on PFAS in turnout gear and commits to banning PFAS in personal protective equipment when suitable alternatives are available.
Representative Dacia Graber, a 25-year firefighter and paramedic, told the Senate Committee on Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs on March 12 that House Concurrent Resolution 2 urges the state to pursue alternatives to PFAS in firefighting personal protective equipment and to ban future use once suitable non-PFAS gear is available.
The resolution cites the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) designation in 2024 that ‘‘firefighting itself is a Group 1 carcinogen,’’ Graber said, and notes research linking PFAS — commonly called ‘‘forever chemicals’’ — to cancer risks. ‘‘This designation concludes that exposure to known carcinogens is present in every active fire scenario regardless of the type of gear worn by firefighters,’’ Graber said.
The nut graf: Supporters told the committee that turnout gear containing PFAS may increase occupational cancer risk and that a resolution signaling state commitment could spur manufacturers and researchers to accelerate development of PFAS-free gear.
Alan Frischwala, legislative director for the Oregon State Firefighters Council, told the committee PFAS ‘‘can leach from fabric of the gear over time, contaminating the firefighter's skin, clothing and the environment,’’ and that elevated temperatures and perspiration on the fireground heighten dermal absorption. Ben Stange, chief of Polk County Fire District No. 1, representing the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, said the measure sends a market signal to manufacturers to develop safer gear.
Kathy Keithley, a Gresham city councilor and spouse and parent of career firefighters, and other witnesses urged urgency and likened the effort to past safety transitions such as improvements to self-contained breathing apparatus systems. Several panelists said there are not yet commercially available, high-performing PFAS-free substitutes but that the resolution’s purpose is to drive research and procurement planning so replacement can happen quickly when products are ready.
The hearing record shows broad support from firefighters’ organizations, chiefs and local officials. Committee members asked technical and implementation questions about timelines, who pays replacement costs and whether the state should set procurement or voucher mechanisms; witnesses acknowledged many details remain to be resolved in later legislation.
The committee closed the public hearing on HCR 2 and returned to other items on the agenda. No formal committee vote on HCR 2 was recorded during the meeting.
