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Committee advances bill to ban PFAS and other cancer‑causing chemicals in firefighter turnout gear
Summary
AB 1181 would direct Cal/OSHA to develop standards banning cancer‑causing chemicals from firefighter turnout gear by February 2027; firefighters and unions urged passage citing PFAS exposure and elevated cancer risks, while chemical industry groups asked for more time and scope clarification.
Assemblymember Haney presented AB 1181, the Firefighter Cancer Prevention Act, which would require California Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) to develop standards to ban cancer‑causing chemicals from firefighter turnout gear by February 2027. Haney cited research alleging significant PFAS contamination in existing turnout gear and said that PFAS and other “forever chemicals” are carcinogenic and unnecessarily expose firefighters.
Jeremy Crawford, a Sacramento Metro Fire captain and chair of the local firefighters’ cancer committee, described personal and professional experience with elevated cancer rates in the fire service and cited the International Association of Firefighters’ analysis attributing 66 percent of firefighter deaths between 2002 and 2019 to cancer. Crawford said some PFAS‑free gear tested in other departments contained substitute flame retardants at concentrations higher than previous PFAS levels and urged a California standard that eliminates regrettable substitutes while maintaining protective performance.
The California Professional Firefighters sponsored the bill and stated they would provide technical support. The American Chemistry Council testified they were not opposed but raised concerns about the bill’s scope — specifically whether the PPE definition would include products without feasible alternatives — and about product availability and timelines.
The committee established quorum and moved AB 1181 to the Appropriations Committee for further consideration. The sponsor said she would continue discussions with industry stakeholders on feasibility and implementation timelines.
