ProPublica said in late February that the agency shared it "has stopped distributing" gear containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances following the outlet's early-February reporting that the agency knew for years its pants contained potentially harmful "forever chemicals."
ProPublica said this week that the U.S. Forest Service "has stopped distributing" gear containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, following the outlet's early-February reporting that the agency knew for years the protective pants it issued to wildland firefighters contained the potentially harmful "forever chemicals."
Known as such for their persistence in habitats and human bodies, PFAS have been used for some time in firefighters' "turnout gear" and in water- and stain-resistant fabrics to repel liquids. In addition to the staying power of PFAS, exposure risks may be amplified by the chemicals' prevalence in a wide variety of items, from some nonstick cookware to cosmetics, personal care items, cleaning products, other job-related tools, and more.
Exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to serious health conditions, including cancers and reproductive health concerns, though, as ProPublica reporter Abe Streep told KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, "the science is still evolving" in terms of mapping out the risks conclusively.
Some exposure risks may also bear gendered dimensions, such as those related to gendered labor dynamics. For example, while women's representation in firefighting has seen improvements, 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that about 95 percent of firefighters in the U.S. were men.
The persistence of "forever chemicals" in the environment, however, suggests that virtually anyone could be impacted by PFAS-containing products, which may pose some risks specific to fertility, pregnancy, and women's health.
Meanwhile, awareness and innovations have helped to reduce the use of these chemicals, and many municipal fire departments have been working to transition to PFAS-free protective uniforms. The Vancouver fire department in Canada said in 2024 it was becoming the first fire department in North America to make the shift to PFAS-free gear. Departments in New Hampshire and Connecticut in the U.S. reportedly followed suit.
Addressing this issue as well as PFAS in firefighting foam has also become central to multiple lawsuits and municipal efforts pushing for accountability and change. The International Association of Fire Fighters announced in 2023 that it had retained law firms "to fight for those made sick by PFAS forever chemicals."
Olubusayo Ruth Akinola — Head of the Social Welfare, Drug Control, and Crime Prevention Division of the Union — exchanged emails with CG following the release of a new report from the African Union.
"We did not directly address this through these separate papers," study lead author David Luglio told CG, "but it is also important to understand if and how these wildfire and heat effects on autism development combine, especially given that they will likely co-occur in the future."
The U.S. halted oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba in January. Later, the Trump administration threatened to impose tariffs on other countries that sent oil to the island nation. There have been reports of women cooking with charcoal amid blackouts — and of a surge in solar energy interest.
"Women and girls bear disproportionate health and safety risks, including physical burns, contact with contaminated waste, and exposure to toxic emissions from plastic combustion," Chizoba Obianuju Oranu, a researcher at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, told CG.
