Firefighters Wore Gear Containing “Forever Chemicals.” The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years.

Firefighters Wore Gear Containing “Forever Chemicals.” The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years.

As early as 2021, government officials were alerted to the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals known as PFAS in pants used by wildland firefighters, according to emails obtained by ProPublica.

Internal emails show forest service knew PFAS were in firefighters’ pants

What ProPublica reported about forest service gear and PFAS U.S. Forest Service officials knew for years that pants used by wildland firefighters contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to internal correspondence obtained by ProPublica. ProPublica reported that the agency was alerted as early as 2021, ahead of public acknowledgement of the issue. In February […]