PFOA, PFOS, PFAS & 1,4-Dioxane Exposures and Associated Cancers and Diseases

PFOA and PFOS are toxic chemicals classified as “known human carcinogens”, meaning that scientists and physicians have determined these chemicals cause some cancers and serious illnesses. Other PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane are chemicals classified as “probable human carcinogens”, meaning they are suspected of causing some cancers and diseases.

The research on the health effects of PFOA and PFOS (the largest studies are known as the “C.8 studies”) has shown that these chemicals cause kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, kidney failure, pregnancy induced hypertension and preeclampsia. [1]

Exposure to PFOA, PFOS, other PFAS, and 1,4-Dioxane concentrations exceeding the EPA regulatory limits usually occurs through contaminated drinking water, soils and groundwater.

PFOA and PFOS were the main ingredients in aqueous firefighting foam (“AFFF”) during the 1960s – early-2000s. [2] Fire departments frequently sprayed huge clouds of AFFF containing PFOA, PFOS and other hazardous chemicals onto the ground on numerous occasions during those years to extinguish fires and also for drills and exercises. AFFF was frequently sprayed in locations near inhabited commercial buildings and residences, in parking lots, and on recreation fields. There are instances where billowing clouds of AFFF were sprayed on fields at summer camps so that children could run through them!

When the AFFF was sprayed on the ground, it saturated the ground surface and the PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS leached downward and heavily contaminated the subsurface soils and groundwater. Groundwater is frequently the source of the drinking water supply in many municipalities. The EPA did not require drinking water supplies to be tested for PFOA, PFOS, other PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane until 2017. Subsequently, many municipalities discovered the existence of these toxic chemicals at levels that exceeded the EPA’s newly imposed guidelines of 4 ng/l. [3]

PFOA, PFOS and other PFAS can only be removed from the drinking water by carbon filters on the wells. 1,4-Dioxane cannot be removed by carbon filters; it can only be removed by advanced oxidative processes (a/k/a “air-stripping”).

Many people consumed drinking water contaminated by PFOA, PFOS, other PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane prior to the testing requirement and the installation of carbon filters and air-stripping systems. They unknowingly used the tainted water for drinking, cooking, washing, showering and bathing.

If you (1) consumed drinking water that was contaminated with PFOA, PFOS, other PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane and/or (2) worked or lived in areas where the ground is polluted by these toxic carcinogens, and (3) have developed any of the serious diseases mentioned above, please feel free to call me to discuss your legal rights and the available remedies. You can reach me, Joe Lanni, at my New York office ((212) 869-3500 x221) or at j.lanni@fuchsberg.com. If I’m out of the office, feel free to speak with my chief paralegal, Rhonda Sanchez, at ((212) 869-3500) or r.sanchez@fuchsberg.com or investigator, Andrew Lanni at ((212) 869-3500) or (a.lanni@fuchsberg.com).

References

[1] More about the scientific information in this article can be found in the following authoritative publications and sources: PFAS Exposure and Risk of Cancer - NCI; Shearer JJ, Callahan CL, et al., Serum concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and risk of renal cell carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2021; Rhee J, Chang VC, Cheng I, et al., Serum concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Environ Int. 2023; Purdue MP, et al., A nested case-control study of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and testicular germ cell tumors among U.S. Air Force servicemen. Environ Health Perspect, 2023, ehp12603; Liu, et al., Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposure in relation to the kidneys: A review of current available literature, Frontiers in Physiology, 26 January 2023; Wen, et al., Nephrotoxicity of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—effect on transcription and epigenetic factors, Environ Epigenet, 2022 Apr 16;8(1): dvac010.

[2] Firefighting gear often contained PFOA and PFOS to make it flame-proof.

[3] The measurement unit of ng/L constitutes nanograms per liter otherwiseknown as parts per trillion; therefore, the EPA has set maximum allowableconcentrations of PFOA and PFOS exposure at a lifetime limit of 4 ng/L (or 4ppt).