An accurate guide for 2026 to AFFF and the PFAS "forever chemicals" it contains: what they are, who is exposed at work, the documented and suspected health effects, the EPA's 2024 drinking-water limits, the military foam phase-out, blood testing, prevention, and an honest overview of how compensation works.
For more than fifty years, aqueous film-forming foam — AFFF — was the gold standard for putting out the most dangerous fires there are: burning jet fuel, gasoline and other flammable liquids. It works astonishingly well. The problem is what makes it work. The chemistry behind that fire-smothering film relies on a family of synthetic compounds called PFAS, the so-called "forever chemicals" that do not break down and that accumulate in soil, water and the human body. The people who relied on AFFF most — firefighters, military personnel and airport crews — are now among the most studied groups for PFAS exposure. This guide explains, plainly and without sensationalism, what AFFF and PFAS are, who is affected, what the science does and does not say about health effects, the rules now in force, and — honestly, without promoting anyone — how compensation works.
AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) is a firefighting agent built to fight Class B fires — fires fueled by flammable liquids such as jet fuel, gasoline, diesel and solvents. When applied, it spreads a thin watery film across the surface of the burning fuel. That film does two things at once: it cuts the fire off from oxygen and it suppresses the flammable vapors rising off the fuel, knocking the fire down fast and helping prevent re-ignition. For aircraft crashes, fuel-depot fires and refinery incidents, that speed has saved many lives.
The ingredient that lets the foam form and hold that film is a fluorinated surfactant — a PFAS compound. The carbon-fluorine chemistry gives the foam its ability to repel oil and water at the same time and to flow across fuel without burning up. So the very property that made traditional AFFF effective is inseparable from the chemistry that makes PFAS persistent and hard to remove from the environment.
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — a large chemical family of thousands of related synthetic compounds. What unites them is the carbon-fluorine bond, one of the strongest bonds in organic chemistry. That bond is why PFAS resist heat, water, grease and chemical attack, which made them useful in countless products. It is also why they are called "forever chemicals": they barely degrade in nature, can travel through groundwater, and build up in living things, including people.
Two of the most studied individual PFAS are PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate). These older, "long-chain" compounds were widely used in legacy AFFF and many consumer products, and they are the PFAS for which the most health research exists. Manufacturers have largely phased them out in the US, replacing them with other PFAS — but the legacy compounds remain in the environment and in the blood of people exposed years ago. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified PFOA as carcinogenic to humans and PFOS as possibly carcinogenic to humans, reflecting how seriously these specific compounds are now treated.
PFAS exposure from AFFF is an occupational story first, and a community story second. The groups below carry the most direct or best-documented exposure.
| Group | Why the exposure |
|---|---|
| Structural & aircraft firefighters | Used AFFF on real fires and in repeated live-fire training; also exposed to PFAS used in some turnout gear and contaminated equipment. |
| Military personnel | AFFF was standard for decades on bases, ships and airfields; training and firefighting released large volumes of foam. |
| Airport & ARFF crews | Aircraft rescue and firefighting historically required AFFF, with frequent testing and training discharges near runways. |
| Refinery & industrial fire brigades | Petrochemical and bulk-fuel sites kept AFFF for tank and process fires, with periodic system tests. |
| PFAS & product manufacturing workers | People who made PFAS chemicals, foam or PFAS-treated products could be exposed during production. |
| Nearby communities | Residents whose drinking water drew from groundwater contaminated by foam used or stored at bases, airports and fire-training sites. |
One feature sets PFAS apart from many other occupational hazards: exposure does not stop at the fence line. Foam used or spilled at a site can seep into groundwater and travel, so the people most affected may include families miles away who simply drank tap water. Because PFAS are so widespread in modern life, almost everyone in the US has some measurable level in their blood; the question for exposed workers and affected communities is whether their levels are meaningfully higher and what that means for their health.
This is where care matters most, because the science is real but nuanced, and it is easy to overstate. Major reviews — including work by federal agencies and the National Academies — have associated higher PFAS exposure with a range of effects. It is important to read these as associations of varying strength, which differ by specific PFAS and by the level and length of exposure. Association is not the same as proof that PFAS caused any one individual's illness.
Effects with the stronger or more consistent evidence include:
Effects that are suspected or supported by more limited or mixed evidence include ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory bowel disease linked to PFOA in some studies), pregnancy-related high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, lower infant birth weight, and possible links to other cancers. Where the science is genuinely unsettled, the honest answer is that researchers are still working it out — some associations are robust, others are emerging or inconsistent, and a finding in a heavily exposed population does not automatically translate to everyone. What is not in dispute is that PFAS are biologically persistent and that reducing exposure is sensible public-health policy, which is exactly the direction regulators have taken.
For workers, PFAS from AFFF enters the body by three main routes. Skin contact with foam during fires, training and cleanup; inhalation of foam aerosols and vapors; and ingestion, most importantly through contaminated drinking water. Because PFAS do not break down and the body clears them only slowly, exposures add up: a firefighter's repeated contact over a career, or years of drinking water with low-level PFAS, can build measurable body burden over time.
Contamination of water deserves special attention because it is how exposure reaches beyond the people who handled the foam. AFFF used or stored at airfields, military bases and fire-training pits soaked into soil and reached groundwater, which feeds wells and public supplies. That is the chain behind many community PFAS cases: foam at a site decades ago, slow migration through groundwater, and elevated PFAS in tap water far from where the foam was ever sprayed. Contaminated gear, vehicles and equipment can also be an ongoing, low-level source long after a fire is out.
US PFAS policy moved quickly in the mid-2020s. Knowing who set which rule helps you find authoritative guidance.
In 2024 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the first national, legally enforceable drinking-water standards for PFAS. It set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) each for PFOA and PFOS — an extraordinarily low limit that reflects how potent these compounds are thought to be — along with limits for several other PFAS (including PFHxS, PFNA and GenX chemicals) and a hazard-index approach for certain mixtures. Public water systems must monitor for these PFAS, inform the public of the results, and reduce levels that exceed the limits within the compliance period the rule sets out. A part per trillion is roughly a single drop in a very large volume of water, which gives a sense of how strict the standard is.
The EPA also designated PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA — the federal Superfund cleanup law. In practical terms, this strengthens the government's ability to require reporting of releases and to hold responsible parties accountable for investigating and cleaning up PFAS contamination, including at former foam sites. It is part of a broader shift toward treating legacy PFAS contamination as a cleanup obligation rather than an unowned legacy.
The Department of Defense (DoD), historically the largest user of AFFF, has been moving away from PFAS-containing foam toward fluorine-free foam (F3) alternatives, working to stop using legacy AFFF except where it cannot yet be avoided, and updating its specifications accordingly. Many airports, fire departments and industrial operators are transitioning as well. Phasing out is not just swapping products: it also means safely collecting, storing and disposing of stockpiled foam, and remediating soil and water at sites where AFFF was already released.
This guide is written to align with the public guidance of the EPA, the DoD, NIOSH, the CDC and IARC. PFAS rules are evolving quickly and state programs are often stricter, so always confirm the current standard for your jurisdiction and setting.
PFAS can be measured directly in blood, a practice called biomonitoring. National health surveys run by the CDC have tracked PFAS in the general US population for years, which is how we know that detectable levels are nearly universal and that average levels for the older compounds have been falling since they were phased out of production. For an individual, a blood test can show whether their PFAS levels are higher than typical.
Clinical guidance now exists — notably from the National Academies — to help clinicians interpret a person's PFAS blood level and decide on appropriate follow-up, such as which conditions to watch for at higher levels. Two honest caveats apply. First, a PFAS result does not diagnose any disease by itself; it is one piece of information, not a verdict. Second, there is no treatment that removes PFAS from the body once it is there, so the value of testing is in informing monitoring and prevention, not in "fixing" a level. Anyone considering testing should do it through a qualified physician who can place the number in the context of their exposure history and overall health.
If someone develops an illness they believe is linked to AFFF or PFAS exposure, several routes may exist. The aim here is to describe them accurately — not to push anyone toward a particular firm or outcome. Because these matters are time-sensitive and the rules differ by state and by route, affected people generally get a medical evaluation first and then speak with a licensed attorney experienced in PFAS or toxic-exposure cases to understand which options apply to them.
A few honest caveats. These routes are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and how they interact depends on the facts and the jurisdiction. The science of linking PFAS to a specific person's illness is genuinely contested in many cases, and outcomes are not guaranteed. Time limits are real and can bar a valid claim if missed. The right first step is medical, not financial: get an accurate evaluation from a qualified physician, then seek qualified legal advice. AEGIS - AMA does not provide legal services, does not refer to any law firm, and earns nothing from any claim.
Much PFAS exposure from foam is preventable now that the hazard is understood. The guiding idea is the same hierarchy used for any hazardous substance: eliminate or substitute the source first, contain what you cannot eliminate, then protect the individual. A sound program for any organization that still has AFFF includes:
This mirrors the direction the EPA, the DoD and occupational-health bodies are taking: get the most persistent chemistry out of use, contain and clean up what remains, and shield the workers and communities still affected by legacy foam.
These free, no-signup tools and guides run entirely in your browser and connect to the wider topic of chemical hazards and occupational illness:
What is AFFF and why does it contain PFAS?
AFFF stands for aqueous film-forming foam, a firefighting foam designed to smother flammable-liquid fires such as burning jet fuel and gasoline. Traditional AFFF works by spreading a thin aqueous film over the fuel, and the chemistry that makes that film possible relies on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These same fluorinated compounds are extremely persistent in the environment and the human body, which is why AFFF is now at the center of health and contamination concerns.
What are PFAS or forever chemicals?
PFAS are a large family of thousands of synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances built around very strong carbon-fluorine bonds. That bond makes them resist heat, water and oil, which is useful industrially, but also means they barely break down. Because they persist for years in soil, water and human blood, they are commonly called forever chemicals. PFOA and PFOS are two of the best-studied members.
Who is most at risk of AFFF and PFAS exposure?
The most heavily exposed groups are firefighters, military personnel, and airport, refinery and industrial fire crews who used or trained with AFFF. Communities whose drinking water was contaminated by foam used at military bases, airports and fire-training sites can also carry elevated PFAS levels. Workers who manufactured PFAS or PFAS-containing products are another exposed group.
What health effects are linked to PFAS exposure?
Authoritative reviews have associated higher PFAS exposure with kidney cancer and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, elevated cholesterol, changes in liver enzymes, pregnancy-related high blood pressure, lower infant birth weight, and reduced immune and vaccine response in children. The strength of evidence varies by effect and by specific PFAS, and association does not by itself prove that PFAS caused any one person's illness.
How does AFFF exposure actually happen?
Exposure happens through direct skin contact and inhalation of foam and vapor during real fires and routine training, through contaminated gear and equipment, and through ingestion of drinking water where foam used or stored at a site leached PFAS into groundwater. Because PFAS build up in the body over time, repeated low-level contact can add up across a career.
What are the EPA 2024 PFAS drinking-water limits?
In 2024 the EPA finalized the first national, legally enforceable drinking-water standards for several PFAS. It set maximum contaminant levels of 4 parts per trillion each for PFOA and PFOS, with additional limits for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX chemicals and a hazard-index approach for certain mixtures. Public water systems must monitor for these PFAS and reduce levels that exceed the limits within the compliance timeline.
Is AFFF being phased out?
Yes. The U.S. Department of Defense has been moving away from PFAS-containing AFFF toward fluorine-free foam alternatives and has worked to stop using legacy AFFF except where unavoidable. Many airports, fire departments and industrial sites are transitioning as well. Phasing out also means safely managing and disposing of stockpiled foam and remediating sites where it was already released.
Can I get a blood test for PFAS?
PFAS can be measured in blood through biomonitoring, and national programs have tracked PFAS in the general U.S. population for years. Clinical guidance now exists for interpreting individual PFAS blood levels and deciding on follow-up. A result does not diagnose any disease on its own, so testing should be discussed with a qualified physician who can place it in the context of your exposure history and overall health.
What is the AFFF MDL and how does compensation work?
Thousands of lawsuits over AFFF and PFAS contamination have been consolidated into a federal multidistrict litigation, or MDL. An MDL groups many similar cases before one judge for shared pretrial steps to handle common issues efficiently; each case generally remains individual rather than becoming a single class action. Other possible routes include workers' compensation and, for veterans, VA benefits. These are time-sensitive and fact-specific, so affected people typically see a physician for evaluation and a licensed attorney to understand their options.
How can firefighters and employers reduce PFAS exposure?
Key steps include transitioning to fluorine-free foam where suitable, avoiding unnecessary AFFF use and training discharges, capturing and properly disposing of foam and rinse water instead of letting it reach the ground, decontaminating gear and skin after exposure, using appropriate protective equipment, monitoring drinking water near foam sites, and keeping exposure records. These actions follow the direction of EPA, the Department of Defense and occupational-health bodies.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. PFAS exposure is a serious and evolving topic — consult a qualified physician and a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Content is written to align with the public guidance of the EPA, the Department of Defense, NIOSH, the CDC and IARC; regulations and figures change, so confirm current requirements for your jurisdiction. AEGIS - AMA is independent, provides no legal services, and refers to no law firm.