Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) exposure poses severe health risks, including a heightened risk of developing cancer. This is largely due to aqueous film forming foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS.
If you or a loved one developed cancer or a serious disease after being exposed to aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), you could be entitled to file a firefoam lawsuit.
At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, we are well-versed in the legal challenges surrounding AFFF firefighting foam cases, striving for the maximum compensation and support they rightfully deserve.
Read on to learn more about AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits, how to file a firefighter cancer lawsuit, the statute of limitations regarding these cases, reasons to hire an AFFF cancer lawyer, and how much you can expect from an AFFF lawsuit.
What Is the AFFF Lawsuit About?
The AFFF firefighter foam lawsuit is about the injuries sustained as a result of exposure to PFAS found in AFFF firefighting foam. PFAS causes people to have an increased risk of cancer, including prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer. At the heart of AFFF civil litigation is the duty of care manufacturers owe to consumers.
Plaintiffs in AFFF lawsuits contend this duty was breached when companies like 3M and DuPont did not provide sufficient warnings about the risks of using products containing PFAS. The firefighting foam lawsuit seeks to address this breach and compensate those harmed by AFFF.
AFFF Lawsuit Status
There were so many AFFF personal injury cases filed across the United States that the cases have been filed into an AFFF class action lawsuit known as multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the District of South Carolina.
This multidistrict litigation is ongoing, and a global settlement has not been reached. If you or a loved one has been injured by AFFF, there is still time to join the case and file your claim. Reach out to an AFFF lawyer to learn more about your next steps.
AFFF (Firefighting Foam) Lawsuit Deadline
The statute of limitations for any personal injury case is dictated by the jurisdiction where the case is filed, which varies from state to state. However, the main AFFF lawsuit is a federal case being tried as an MDL.
This can make it more difficult to determine which statute of limitations applies in an AFFF lawsuit. It often takes many years, if not decades, to develop cancer after PFAS contamination. This is much longer than most statutes of limitations allow.
Under the discovery rule, you may have some time after you have been diagnosed with cancer or another serious injury to take action. Just know that this time isn’t indefinite. The sooner you are able to take legal action, the better in terms of being able to file your claim.
Who Can File an AFFF Lawsuit?
To file an AFFF lawsuit, you must be able to prove you were exposed to AFFF and you have been diagnosed with a medical condition related to being exposed to it.
Most of the plaintiffs in AFFF lawsuits have regular occupational exposure to AFFF, which puts them at a higher risk of developing cancers related to it. However, you do not necessarily need to be a firefighter to make a claim.
Generally, the plaintiffs in an AFFF case are:
- Firefighters
- Military firefighters
- Other military personnel
- People who live near sites that use AFFF, such as airports, military bases, and industrial sites
Firefighters, in particular, have an easier time when filing a firefighting foam lawsuit. There is a lot of government documentation showing firefighters are at a higher risk of developing cancers. In fact, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018 was created as a way to monitor this correlation [1].
Several of the claims settled so far have been municipal water contamination lawsuits filed by local governments. PFAS water contamination causes health risks and is very expensive to treat. Several of the municipal water contamination claims filed have already been settled.
How to File an AFFF (Firefighting Foam) Cancer Lawsuit
To file an AFFF lawsuit, you generally need to follow these steps:
- Schedule a free consultation with a law firm to discuss your firefighting foam lawsuit – The first step in filing an AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit is to determine whether you have a case. Simply developing cancer after potential PFAS exposure isn’t enough.
- Gather evidence to support your claim – To win an AFFF lawsuit, you will need to prove you were exposed. This includes gathering evidence of your exposure, collecting health records, and, in some cases, getting expert testimony.Â
- File a complaint – Depending on the exact nature of your case, you may have the option to join the MDL and potentially receive compensation through a global settlement or file a separate AFFF lawsuit.
- Determine the size of your request – It’s important to assess how large of a settlement you will need to pay your past and future expenses. Your lawyer can help you determine what a fair settlement would look like in your AFFF lawsuit.Â
How Our AFFF (Firefighting Foam) Lawyers Can Help
A firefighting foam lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help you:
- File an AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit in the appropriate court while meeting any applicable deadlines
- Avoid common mistakes and errors that can cause AFFF lawsuits to be dismissed
- Build a strong case proveing how your exposure to aqueous film forming foam caused the development of cancer or another serious health condition
- Negotiate the terms of potential settlements with the legal team of manufacturers and distributorsÂ
- Advocate for the highest award amounts possible for your case by using precedent to establish what is fair
- Represent you in court, if necessary, in the event your AFFF lawsuit claim is denied
Is Hiring an AFFF (Firefighting Foam) Attorney Expensive?
Working with an AFFF lawsuit lawyer is not expensive. Our firefighting foam law firm works on a contingency fee basis. This means we don’t charge you anything out of pocket or upfront for our services in filing your AFFF foam lawsuit.
Instead, we receive a set percentage of the settlement we help you secure. This way, you don’t have to pay anything to get started with your AFFF foam cancer lawsuit. You only have to pay for our services once we help you win your case.
Why Are People Filing Firefighting Foam (AFFF) Lawsuits?
There are two primary types of plaintiffs filing firefighting foam lawsuits. Municipal water companies and local governments are filing firefighting foam lawsuits because the toxic firefighting foam leaves behind chemicals known as PFAS in their water sources and local environments.
PFAS contamination is expensive to remediate and poses health risks to their communities. These AFFF foam lawsuits aim to recover the money needed to remove these chemicals
The other type of plaintiff filing an aqueous film forming foam lawsuit are individuals with occupational exposure who are at an increased risk of the dangers of AFFF exposure. In these AFFF lawsuits, plaintiffs are alleging their exposure to AFFF caused cancer or other serious health concerns.
In both types of cases, the AFFF lawsuits allege the companies knew there were risks associated with these toxic chemicals and the AFFF manufacturers and distributors failed to warn them about the associated dangers of being exposed to AFFF.
 The firefighting foam lawsuits assert these companies are responsible for these health issues and for remediating AFFF-contaminated environments.Â
Contact Our Experienced AFFF Lawyers Today!
If you have been exposed to AFFF and then developed cancer or another serious health condition related to exposure to PFAS, including occupational exposure, you could potentially file an AFFF lawsuit to recover compensation for your personal injury claims. We have helped other clients recover millions. There is no cost for our services until we win your case, as we work on a contingency fee basis.
Contact the AFFF exposure attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers for a free case review by filling out our contact form or calling toll-free at (888) 424-5757. A member of our team is available 24/7 to answer your call and schedule your free consultation.Â
Resources: [1] U.S. Congress, [2] Bloomberg Law, [3] Business Wire, [4] Office of the Illinois Attorney General, [5] Endocrine Society, [6] Science Panel, [7] ATSDR, [8] EPA, [9] Environmental Science and Technology, [10] Environmental Research, [11] JCEM, [12] National Cancer Institute, [13] Delaware Business Times, [14] Carrier, [15] Chemguard, [16] Firefighting Wiki, [17] State of Connecticut, [18] North Carolina DOJ, [19] Reuters, [20] Tyco, [21] State of Michigan, [22] U.S. DOD, [23] National Fire Protection Association,Â