Illinois lawmakers push to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in firefighter gear
due to cancer risk
[May 21, 2025]
By Reilly Cook, Grace Friedman
SPRINGFIELD — A bill to ban the sale of firefighter protective gear
containing “forever chemicals” is gaining momentum in the Illinois
General Assembly, as lawmakers, union leaders and firefighters
themselves warn that the very equipment designed to save lives may be
silently endangering them.
House Bill 2409, co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly, D-Chicago, and Sen.
Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, seeks to expand on the state’s existing PFAS
Reduction Act by targeting a lesser-addressed but critical source of
firefighter exposure to these harmful substances: their turnout gear.
Turnout gear, also known as bunker gear, is the specialized protective
clothing worn by firefighters to protect them when they respond to fires
or other hazardous situations.
“We know the damage that PFAs can do to our bodies,” Kelly said in an
interview. “While this is supposed to protect us, it’s doing us serious
harm.”
PFAS have long been used to make products -resistant to water, heat and
staining, but research has increasingly linked them to serious health
issues, including multiple forms of cancer. According to the
Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization trying to protect
environmental health through better industry standards, PFAS were first
added to firefighters’ personal protective equipment in 1976.
The bill is backed by the Associated Firefighters of Illinois, a
statewide union representing more than 17,000 firefighters and
paramedics in 237 communities. Advocates argue that the legislation is
crucial in addressing the leading cause of death among firefighters
today—chronic illnesses such as cancer.
“Little did we know that the bunker gear, the very gear that is supposed
to protect us, to keep us safe, is actually killing us,” AFFI President
and retired firefighter Chuck Sullivan said. PFAS are known as “forever
chemicals” because they can stay in the human body a long time.
Numerous scientific studies from the American Cancer Society, National
Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
indicate the correlation between exposure to PFAS and the increased
number of firefighters developing various forms of cancer. Kelly and
Villavalam cited this research as the impetus driving the legislation.
Sullivan said the Illinois bill closely follows similar legislation
passed in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Connecticut. Under HB 2409,
manufacturers would be banned from selling gear containing PFAS in
Illinois after Jan. 1, 2027. In the interim, labeling requirements would
take effect beginning in 2026. Fire departments would be mandated to
phase out affected equipment, such as self-contained breathing
apparatuses or certain rescue harnesses, by 2030.
“When we put our gear on, it’s not on the forefront of our mind that
that is also dangerous and also giving us additional exposures,” Steve
Shetsky, a member of AFFI’s executive board, said. “So this bill would
absolutely limit those exposures, which would make this profession
safer.”
Retired Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Jim Tracy knows the risk
firsthand. Diagnosed with colon cancer six years ago, he endured
chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to eradicate the cancer he blames on
the uniform.
“I was 22 years in the field when I got diagnosed,” Tracy said. “It is
unfortunately one of those cancers you get from PFAS.”
Tracy, who spent 28 years working as a firefighter, said it was only
recently that they received one set of gear that is “99% PFAS free.” The
new equipment was delayed in production, he said, because manufacturers
had to remove PFAS-laced materials from collars and cuffs and replace
them with 100% cotton. Many firefighters, however, still wear older gear
that is laden with forever chemicals.
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The Illinois Firefighters Memorial statue is pictured outside of the
Capitol in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jade Aubrey)
“Personal protective equipment,” Tracy said. “It’s not very protective
if it is giving us cancer.”
In addition to his own health battle, Tracy said he has many colleagues
in the department who have gotten sick but do not report their illnesses
out of fear of losing their jobs.
“They don’t want to get kicked off the job, so they go through it on
their own and don’t tell the department,” he said.
‘Financial unknowns, replacements under testing’ HB 2409 passed the
House 114-0 on April 10. It passed a Senate committee unanimously and is
awaiting final action on the Senate floor before it can head to Gov. JB
Pritzker for a signature.
Despite bipartisan support in both legislative chambers, the Illinois
Fire Chiefs Association has been vocal in its opposition to the bill,
citing concerns about the availability and cost of compliant gear.
John Buckley, executive director of the IFCA, testified before the
Senate Labor Committee on May 6, urging lawmakers to amend the bill to
delay the enforcement date.
“Our ask and our solution to the problem was to move the date from Jan.
1, 2027, to Jan. 1, 2029 — to give two years to determine if gear would
be available and meet the needs of the firefighters in Illinois,”
Buckley said.
While Buckley emphasized that the IFCA supports eradicating PFAS from
firefighter gear, he warned that the current timeline does not allow
enough time for departments to identify, test and purchase safe
alternatives, which he said are not affordable or readily accessible.
“Currently, nothing’s been tested and vetted that meets that
requirement,” he said. “The gear that’s out there that is PFAS-free is
in very limited use, and some of it does not meet national standards,”
Buckley said.
Buckley also pointed out that the proposed legislation lacks a funding
mechanism to help departments cover the cost of new gear, which he said
could “range from $4,000 to $5,000 per set.”
According to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the state
has 39,564 firefighters. Outfitting each with PFAS-free equipment could
cost between $158 million and $198 million—a significant expense as
Illinois faces a tightening budget picture for fiscal year 2026.
Still, sponsors said protecting firefighters from potentially deadly
chemical exposure should take precedence over its price tag and
logistical concerns.
“Our first responders deserve to work with equipment and clothing that
does not pose a risk to their health,” Villivalam said. “This measure
ensures they are able to continue to be protected while doing their work
effectively.”
Even if HB 2409 becomes law, Buckley said he plans to continue pushing
for a 2029 effective date when the 104th General Assembly reconvenes in
January 2026.
Reilly Cook and Grace Friedman are graduate students
in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of
Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and fellows
in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with
Capitol News Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is
funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation. |
