The Department of War is defending the agency’s continued procurement of firefighting turnout gear that contains so-called “forever chemicals,” saying it will adhere to updated national safety standards while monitoring the development of PFAS-free alternatives.
In emailed responses provided to The Dallas Express, Pentagon officials said the defense agency supported language in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act requiring compliance with National Fire Protection Association Standard 1970, which in 2024 established maximum total limits of carcinogenic PFAS in personal protective equipment.
“The Department of War (DoW) has historically followed and continues to follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) scientific consensus standards that are protective to human health and accepted by industry,” the senior department official stated to The Dallas Express.
“The DoW aims to minimize our firefighters’ exposures to hazards encountered in the workplace, including potential PFAS exposure while ensuring performance and protection during emergency responses.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the final version of the NDAA, signed into law on December 18, 2025, by President Donald Trump, did not include new statutory limits or a phase-out timeline for PFAS-treated textiles used in military turnout gear. Critics noted that the omission left the Pentagon free to continue purchasing gear treated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances despite mounting health concerns.
The senior department official said the department “supported the change to specify compliance with NFPA 1970” during the drafting process. “As more information and more PFAS-free gear with a proven performance becomes available, the DoW will establish transition timelines to optimize protection of firefighters from PFAS levels in their protective gear,” the official added in its statement to The Dallas Express.
Firefighter health advocates have argued that occupational cancer remains the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths and have increasingly focused on PFAS exposure in turnout gear.
During Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month in January, local union leaders and activists told The Dallas Express that while screenings and decontamination practices have improved, chemical oversight and procurement reform remain incomplete.
In a previous interview with The Dallas Express, Diane Cotter, a New Hampshire-based anti-PFAS advocate whose husband, a firefighter, was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer after decades in a Massachusetts fire department, said “the final conference version of the FY 2026 NDAA explicitly blocked language that would have imposed any new restrictions on PFAS in textile products procured by the U.S. military, including firefighter turnout gear.”
She added that while the law extends timelines for phasing out PFAS-containing firefighting foam, “no equivalent mandate or timeline exists for turnout gear.”
The Pentagon official said it currently offers PFAS blood tests to firefighters as part of annual occupational medical exams.
“These blood tests are accomplished to understand the firefighter total exposures to PFAS regardless of source of exposure (work, environment, etc.) and evaluate overall changes in PFAS levels from year-to-year,” the senior department official stated to The Dallas Express.
The department official also said the agency is researching historical PFAS exposures with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Regarding alternatives, the official stated, “The DoW is monitoring industry production and the availability of PFAS-free gear to incorporate alternative sources for lifecycle replacement within purchase contracts.”
The official added that “currently, there are limited PFAS-free options that will protect firefighters,” and that the Army is evaluating procurement options as products become commercially available.
The department acknowledged that while other NDAA provisions address PFAS cleanup and disposal at military installations, personal protective equipment “must retain certain characteristics and standards for the health and safety of DoW firefighters who perform multiple operations and activities in multi-hazard environments.”
The official stated to The Dallas Express that NFPA 1970 “seeks to reduce PFAS exposures until fabrics and materials become available that meet PPE health and safety requirements.”
Advocates have countered in prior interviews with The Dallas Express that reporting and cleanup efforts do not substitute for procurement reform, arguing that civilian departments and some manufacturers have begun transitioning to PFAS-free gear more aggressively.
