Former Westfield firefighter Greg Heath listens on as state Rep. John C. Velis speaks in January 2020 about Bill H.1455, which would grant better disability benefits for firefighters who contract Parkinson’s Disease in the line of duty. (PETER CURRIER PHOTO)
BOSTON – The House of Representatives is moving forward with a bill that would require manufacturers and vendors to disclose the presence of PFAS in firefighting equipment at the time of sale.
PFAS is the term for perfluoraolkyl and polyfluoraolkyl substances, often used in firefighting equipment and firefighting foam. The use of foam containing PFAS was the source of contaminated wells on Westfield’s north side, originating from the Barnes Air National Guard Base there.
According to legislation filed by Attleboro Democrat state Rep. James Hawkins and co-sponsored by state Rep. John C. Velis, D-Westfield, vendors or manufacturers selling personal protective equipment containing PFAS to firefighters will be required to provide a written notice to the purchaser at the time of the sale.
Velis said this bill is a step in the right direction.
“We as a Commonwealth, nation and society need to move away from PFAS,” said Velis. “We know PFAS have an incredibly harmful effect on people’s health.”
Velis said the extent of that effect is still unknown.
“Requiring manufacturers to give written notice – and to take it farther and not allow PFAS – is a good step,” he said. “It’s the forever chemical and we don’t know all the effects.”
According to a story by Chris Van Buskirk of State House News Service, Hawkins filed the bill last year after attending three firefighter funerals during his first year in office. The individuals weren’t old, he said, and died due to complications with cancer. Some studies of PFAS in humans have shown an increased risk of some cancers, according to the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry.
“We have this image of firefighters getting hurt in a very dramatic fashion, and the truth is that’s not what’s happening,” he told the News Service Feb. 28. “They get sick and worse, that’s mostly cancer.”
Wearing equipment with PFAS chemicals is one area that exposes firefighters to potential cancer, and the legislation is written to eventually ban the chemical in the protective clothing, he said.
“I think there’s a general awareness that this is an unusual problem that firefighters are dying early because of occupational cancer,” Hawkins told the News Service.
The House gave the bill initial approved last Thursday; a second favorable House vote would move the bill to the Senate for its consideration. Nearly seven dozen lawmakers signed on to the bill as cosponsors, indicating broad, bipartisan support.
