Baltimore, Maryland AFFF Lawsuit Help Center

AFFF Exposure in Baltimore: Learn About Your Potential Legal Options

Aqueous film-forming foam, commonly called AFFF, has been used for decades to control fires involving jet fuel, gasoline, petroleum products, and other highly flammable liquids. Its use has extended across firefighting, aviation, military operations, industrial facilities, emergency response, and specialized training.

People who encountered AFFF were not necessarily the firefighters who sprayed it. Aircraft mechanics, airport personnel, fuel handlers, maintenance workers, contractors, emergency responders, and military service members could also come into contact with the foam while performing drills, inspecting equipment, servicing suppression systems, or cleaning after a discharge.

Some older AFFF formulations contained PFAS chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS. Certain PFAS compounds are persistent and may remain in the environment and human body for extended periods.

If you were exposed to AFFF in Baltimore, elsewhere in Maryland, or during military service and later developed a serious illness, your circumstances may warrant an individual legal review.

REQUEST A FREE, CONFIDENTIAL CASE REVIEW

There is no charge to request an initial evaluation, and speaking with the AFFF Lawsuit Help Center does not obligate you to file a claim.

AFFF Exposure Was Not Limited to Emergency Firefighting

A person could encounter AFFF without ever fighting a large fuel fire.

Fire-suppression equipment has historically required routine testing, inspections, maintenance, and repairs. Training exercises can involve repeated foam applications, and workers may subsequently handle equipment or surfaces where foam residue remains.

Possible exposure situations include:

• Participating in firefighter training
• Responding to aircraft or fuel fires
• Testing emergency foam systems
• Filling or servicing foam tanks
• Repairing pumps, hoses, valves, and related equipment
• Maintaining firefighting vehicles
• Cleaning apparatus after foam deployment
• Handling protective gear following a discharge
• Working around aircraft fueling operations
• Inspecting specialized fire-suppression systems
• Cleaning hangars, vehicles, floors, or other areas after foam use

For older exposure histories, identifying the exact AFFF product may be challenging. Employment records, training documents, military histories, and former workplace information may help establish the circumstances.

What Is AFFF?

AFFF is a specialized firefighting formulation designed primarily for fires involving flammable liquids. The foam can spread over the surface of burning fuel, helping suppress flammable vapors, cool the material, and reduce the possibility of reignition.

Some historical AFFF formulations incorporated PFAS chemicals because they resist heat, water, oil, and natural degradation.

PFOA and PFOS are two PFAS compounds that have been extensively studied. AFFF products have changed over the years, however, so formulations used at different facilities and during different periods may not have contained identical chemicals.

A potential exposure assessment may therefore consider the product, location, time period, job duties, frequency of contact, and available documentation.

Baltimore-Area Settings Where AFFF Exposure May Be Relevant

Baltimore's aviation, maritime, transportation, emergency-response, and industrial activities provide several potential contexts for historical AFFF use.

Firefighters and Emergency Responders

Firefighters may have encountered AFFF during specialized training and emergency responses involving flammable liquids.

Contact could also occur during routine equipment work. Foam residue may remain on firefighting vehicles, hoses, protective clothing, floors, and other surfaces following deployment.

For former firefighters, previous departments, assignments, training locations, and years of service may help reconstruct potential exposure.

Airport and Aviation Workers

Aircraft rescue and firefighting operations have historically used specialized foam because aviation fuel fires can be particularly challenging to suppress.

Potentially exposed workers may include:

• Aircraft rescue firefighters
• Airport emergency personnel
• Aircraft mechanics
• Fuel-service employees
• Maintenance crews
• Hangar workers
• Fire-system technicians
• Contractors
• Aviation training personnel

Potential contact could occur during drills, emergency responses, equipment testing, inspections, repairs, and cleanup.

Military Personnel and Veterans

A Baltimore resident's AFFF exposure may have occurred outside Maryland.

Military firefighters, aircraft mechanics, aviation crews, fuel handlers, maintenance personnel, and crash-response teams may have encountered AFFF at military installations or training facilities.

A complete service history may therefore be useful when determining potential exposure locations.

Port, Industrial, and Transportation Workers

Specialized fire-suppression systems may be used where fuel, petroleum products, chemicals, or other combustible materials are stored or handled.

Workers and contractors may encounter AFFF during system inspections, maintenance, testing, emergency response, repairs, or post-release cleanup.

Mechanics, electricians, equipment technicians, maintenance workers, and contractors may have relevant exposure histories even when firefighting was not their primary occupation.

Who May Want an AFFF Exposure Review?

A potential review may be appropriate for someone who previously:

• Used, mixed, sprayed, or handled AFFF
• Worked as a firefighter
• Participated in specialized fire-training exercises
• Responded to aircraft or fuel-related fires
• Worked around aircraft-rescue equipment
• Maintained foam tanks or suppression systems
• Repaired pumps, hoses, valves, or delivery equipment
• Cleaned firefighting vehicles or protective gear after foam use
• Worked around aviation fuel operations
• Worked at an industrial or maritime facility with specialized foam equipment
• Experienced repeated foam leaks, spills, or discharges
• Lived or worked near a location associated with historical PFAS use
• Used water potentially affected by an AFFF release
• Later developed a serious medical condition following potential exposure

An occupation or diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility. The nature, duration, frequency, and location of exposure may need to be considered along with medical records, employment history, military service, and applicable law.

Baltimore Firefighters and First Responders

Firefighters may have encountered AFFF through emergency response, specialized training, equipment testing, and cleanup.

Repeated exposure may come from routine duties as well as emergency situations. Cleaning apparatus, maintaining foam equipment, handling hoses, and working with protective clothing after a discharge may all be relevant.

For retired firefighters, old department records and training histories may help establish exposure that occurred years or decades ago.

Aviation, Fuel, and Maintenance Personnel

AFFF exposure does not require someone to have been employed as a firefighter.

Aircraft mechanics, fuel handlers, airport contractors, hangar employees, maintenance personnel, and emergency-response workers may have worked around foam systems or in areas where AFFF had been discharged.

Training, inspections, repairs, and cleanup activities may all be important when documenting an occupational exposure history.

Industrial, Port, and Contract Workers

People working in support roles may also have encountered AFFF.

Maintenance technicians, mechanics, electricians, cleaning crews, equipment specialists, and contractors may have worked in areas containing specialized fire-suppression equipment.

The specific work performed, length of employment, and frequency of contact can help determine the significance of potential exposure.

Could PFAS From AFFF Affect Drinking Water?

Some PFAS compounds can remain in the environment after historical AFFF releases. Under certain conditions, they can migrate through soil and groundwater and potentially reach nearby water sources.

This can create questions about possible drinking-water exposure near locations where firefighting foam was historically used.

However, detecting PFAS in water does not automatically identify the source of contamination or prove that a person's illness was caused by the exposure.

A potential environmental review may involve water-testing results, groundwater information, historical property records, environmental reports, and evidence concerning possible sources.

FIND OUT WHETHER YOUR EXPOSURE HISTORY MAY DESERVE A REVIEW

A confidential evaluation can help identify potentially relevant employment, military, environmental, and medical records.

Medical Conditions Being Studied in PFAS Research

Research into PFAS exposure and human health is continuing. Scientific studies and federal health agencies have reported associations between certain PFAS compounds and particular health outcomes.

An association does not automatically establish that PFAS caused an individual's illness.

A potential AFFF claim may therefore require examining the person's diagnosis together with exposure history, medical records, scientific evidence, timing, and other possible risk factors.

Kidney Cancer

PFOA exposure has been studied in connection with kidney cancer. Someone diagnosed with kidney cancer who also has a history of potential AFFF exposure may want to have their circumstances evaluated.

A review may consider the location and duration of exposure, frequency of contact, timing of the diagnosis, treatment history, and other potential risk factors.

A diagnosis alone does not establish that AFFF caused the cancer.

Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer has also been examined in connection with PFOA exposure and has been alleged in PFAS-related litigation.

Whether an individual diagnosis may support an AFFF-related claim depends on the evidence concerning exposure, medical history, scientific information, and applicable legal standards.

Other Health Conditions

Researchers have investigated additional cancers and health outcomes associated with different PFAS compounds. The available evidence can vary depending on the specific chemical and medical condition.

For that reason, a serious diagnosis should be evaluated together with the person's actual exposure circumstances rather than assuming that every illness automatically qualifies for an AFFF lawsuit.

What Compensation Could Potentially Be Available?

When supported by the facts and applicable law, an AFFF personal-injury claim may potentially seek damages for:

• Medical bills and related healthcare expenses
• Hospitalization and surgery
• Prescription medications
• Rehabilitation and continuing care
• Future medical treatment
• Lost income
• Reduced earning capacity
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Diminished quality of life
• Loss of companionship or support
• Funeral and burial expenses in qualifying wrongful-death cases
• Other damages permitted under applicable law

The potential value of an individual claim varies according to the circumstances. Medical costs, severity of the illness, lost income, exposure evidence, causation, and applicable law may all influence potential damages.

No specific settlement, verdict, or compensation amount can be guaranteed.

Preserve Your AFFF Exposure History

If you believe you encountered AFFF in Baltimore, elsewhere in Maryland, or during employment or military service in another location, older records may still be valuable.

Employment documents, military records, training histories, medical files, former workplace information, environmental reports, and water-testing results may help establish when and where potential exposure occurred.

REQUEST A FREE, CONFIDENTIAL CASE REVIEW

Requesting an evaluation does not obligate you to pursue litigation. Your potential legal options depend on your individual exposure history, medical circumstances, available evidence, and the law applicable to your claim.