A member of Fall River's fire department is one of 15 firefighters across Massachusetts who have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that “forever chemicals” in their equipment gave them cancer, and that the corporations who sold the gear are engaged in a "continuous and ongoing public deception" regarding their risks.
Michael O’Reagan was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2016, and was the first city firefighter to undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiation before returning to duty two years later. He signed on to the lawsuit along with 10 Worcester firefighters and four Boston firefighters.
The firefighters’ 78-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, names 25 chemical companies it says either manufactured or used PFAS in the making of firefighting equipment.
It is one of four lawsuits filed across the country Tuesday by Pritzker Levine LLP, a New York law firm that is representing firefighters who allege PFAS-related injuries. The firm said it filed two suits in California state courts, as well as a federal lawsuit in New York on behalf of four FDNY firefighters.
'We're dying in that stuff':Firefighter says toxic chemicals in his gear may cause cancer
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of over 9,000 chemicals largely made by 3M and Dupont that can add durability, stain-repellence and water-resistance to textiles. They’re in widespread use in many consumer products, and in heavy use in firefighter safety gear, including the textiles used in their turnout coats and pants and in aqueous film-forming foam used to suppress certain kinds of chemical fires.
The Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations have linked certain PFAS compounds to serious medical conditions, among them thyroid disease, high cholesterol levels, ulcerative colitis, and several different kinds of cancer — cancers of the liver, breasts, testicles, and kidneys being most common.
'Protect the boys':Firefighter, Fall River manufacturer are developing PFAS-free underwear
The chemicals, which do not break down in nature, have leached into water supplies and bloodstreams across the world, leading to recent advisories, from Cape Cod to Maine, against eating fish or game from certain towns.
The firefighters filing the suit were recently confirmed by lab testing to have "significantly elevated" levels of PFAS in their blood, their lawsuit states.
“We’re concerned that the chemical companies really didn’t sound the alarm for us," said Joshua Hetzler, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1314, the city’s firefighters union. “You get on the job, you’re hired, and you’re not worried that the gear is going to kill you — you're worried about the fire killing you.”
In a 2018 Herald News profile, O’Reagan said he was the third firefighter from his truck company at the Stanley Street station to be diagnosed with lymphoma.
In recent years, former union president and firefighter Jason Burns and others including O’Reagan have been educating the city’s firefighting force about exposure to toxic chemicals and their belief that the gear may be contributing to cancer diagnoses.
“The fire service in general around the country is starting to wake up to it, and starting to take action — to try to fight back and try to prevent our members from being exposed to it,” Hetzler said. “In Fall River, we’re doing the best we can to try to prevent guys from being in their gear any longer than they have to be.
“We’re also actively working on getting everybody a second set of gear. And obviously we’re looking at the industry to create PFAS-free gear.”
Michael O'Reagan in 2018:As cancer risks rise, Fall River firefighters take on a new fight
The Massachusetts firefighters’ lawsuit is the latest in a string of similar suits filed across the county, many of which are being combined into a large, ongoing federal lawsuit regarding PFAS in federal court in South Carolina.
The companies that have created and used PFAS for decades, including chemical giants DuPont and 3M, have pushed back against allegations regarding their products. DuPont and 3M have yet to file a legal answer to a similar lawsuit Pritzker Levine filed on behalf of firefighters in California last year, court records show.
In addition to 3M and DuPont, also listed as defendants in the suit are AGC Chemicals Americas, Amerex Corp., Archroma, Arkema, Buckeye Fire Equipment, Carrier Global Corp., Chemguard, Dynax Corp., Fire Dex LLC, Fire Service Plus, Globe Manufacturing Co., Honeywell Safety Products USA, Johnson Controls, Lion Group, Mine Safety Appliance Co., National Foam, PBI Performance Products, Perimeter Solutions LP, Stedfast USA, Tencate Protective Fabrics USA dba Southern Mills, The Chemours Co., Tyco Fire Products LP and W.L. Gore & Associates.
Information from a Telegram & Gazette story was used in this report.
Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.