El Paso, Texas AFFF Lawsuit Help Center

Firefighters, Military Personnel, Veterans, and Workers Deserve Straightforward Information

Aqueous film-forming foam, commonly referred to as AFFF, was developed to extinguish dangerous fires involving jet fuel, gasoline, petroleum products, and other flammable liquids. For decades, firefighters, military personnel, airport employees, industrial workers, contractors, and other workers may have encountered AFFF during emergency responses, training drills, equipment inspections, maintenance, and cleanup operations.

Some older AFFF formulations contained PFAS, a group of highly persistent chemicals that can remain in soil and water and may accumulate in the human body. Many people who worked with or around these products may not have been fully informed about the potential risks associated with repeated exposure.

If you were exposed to AFFF in El Paso, elsewhere in Texas, or during military service and were later diagnosed with a serious illness, your circumstances may warrant an individual legal evaluation.

REQUEST A FREE, CONFIDENTIAL CASE REVIEW

There is no cost to request an evaluation, and there is no requirement to move forward with a claim. Each person's exposure and medical history can be reviewed individually.

AFFF Exposure in El Paso and the Surrounding Region

AFFF has historically been used in situations where conventional firefighting methods may not have been sufficient, particularly when responding to petroleum-based or aviation-fuel fires. Workers in and around El Paso could potentially have encountered firefighting foam through emergency response, aircraft-related operations, fire training, industrial activities, or routine maintenance.

Exposure does not necessarily require direct involvement in a major fire. Contact could have occurred while inspecting or filling foam systems, conducting suppression-system tests, maintaining emergency vehicles, cleaning equipment, washing protective clothing, servicing hangar or industrial areas, or working near locations where foam was repeatedly discharged.

For some individuals, discovering that a product intended to protect people and property may have involved another potential health concern can be difficult. The AFFF Lawsuit Help Center provides people in El Paso and throughout Texas with information about potential claims and a confidential opportunity to discuss their circumstances.

What Is AFFF?

AFFF is a specialized firefighting foam designed primarily for fires involving flammable liquids. When discharged, the foam spreads across the surface of the burning material, helping cool the fire, separate the fuel from oxygen, suppress flammable vapors, and reduce the possibility of the fire reigniting.

Certain AFFF products manufactured and used in earlier decades contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS. These manufactured chemicals are resistant to heat, water, oil, and natural breakdown. Those characteristics made some PFAS useful in firefighting applications, but they also contribute to their persistence in the environment.

PFOA and PFOS are among the PFAS compounds that have received significant scientific and regulatory attention. AFFF formulations have changed over the years, however, and not every firefighting foam contained the same substances. When evaluating a potential claim, factors such as the particular foam involved, the years of exposure, the location, frequency of contact, and the individual's overall exposure history can be important.

Potential AFFF Exposure Locations in and Around El Paso

People may have encountered AFFF in a variety of occupational or environmental settings, including:

• City, county, and volunteer fire stations
• Firefighter training and emergency-response facilities
• El Paso-area airports and aviation facilities
• Aircraft rescue and firefighting operations
• Military installations and military training areas
• National Guard and other defense-related facilities
• Aircraft maintenance and hangar operations
• Fuel storage, distribution, and transfer locations
• Industrial and manufacturing facilities
• Emergency-response and hazardous-material incident sites
• Commercial properties equipped with specialized fire-suppression systems
• Locations where historical AFFF use may have affected groundwater or drinking-water sources

Who May Qualify for an AFFF Lawsuit Review in El Paso?

An individual evaluation may be appropriate for people who:

• Used, mixed, sprayed, transported, or handled AFFF
• Took part in aircraft, fuel-fire, or emergency-response training
• Responded to petroleum, gasoline, jet-fuel, or other flammable-liquid fires
• Inspected, tested, repaired, filled, drained, or maintained foam systems
• Worked with firefighting vehicles, pumps, tanks, hoses, or suppression equipment
• Removed foam residue from emergency vehicles or work areas
• Cleaned contaminated protective clothing, equipment, floors, or other surfaces
• Worked at facilities where AFFF was stored or repeatedly discharged
• Experienced occupational exposure following foam leaks, spills, or system failures
• Lived or worked in an area where PFAS contamination may have affected a water source
• Developed a serious illness that is being evaluated in connection with alleged PFAS exposure

The circumstances surrounding exposure can be important. The type of contact, frequency and duration of exposure, method of exposure, time period involved, employment history, military service, residential history, diagnosis, and applicable state or federal law may all affect whether a claim can be pursued.

El Paso Firefighters and Emergency Responders

Municipal, county, and volunteer firefighters may have encountered AFFF during emergency calls, fire-suppression training, equipment inspections, vehicle maintenance, foam-system testing, and cleanup activities. Repeated contact with foam or residue may be relevant when reviewing a potential exposure history.

Military Personnel, Veterans, and Defense Workers

Military firefighters, service members, National Guard personnel, reservists, veterans, civilian defense employees, aircraft personnel, and crash-response teams may have worked with or around AFFF during aviation emergencies, fire drills, equipment maintenance, and other operations at military facilities in Texas or other locations.

Airport and Aviation Personnel

Aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel, airport employees, mechanics, fuel-service workers, contractors, maintenance crews, and other aviation workers may have encountered AFFF around aircraft operations, emergency vehicles, foam-delivery systems, hangars, fuel areas, or training activities.

Industrial and Fuel-Related Workers

Employees and contractors working at manufacturing facilities, fuel-storage operations, petroleum-related properties, chemical facilities, transportation facilities, and other industrial locations may have been around fixed or mobile fire-suppression systems designed for hazardous-liquid fires.

People Potentially Exposed Through Contaminated Water

PFAS can persist in the environment and may migrate from locations where certain firefighting foams were historically used. Depending on the circumstances, individuals living or working near a facility could potentially have encountered PFAS through groundwater, private wells, or public water systems.

Determining whether contamination occurred generally requires reliable environmental information, historical records, water-quality data, and evidence concerning the source of the chemicals.

LEARN WHETHER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES MAY QUALIFY

A case review is free and confidential. Requesting an evaluation does not require you to file a lawsuit or continue with a claim.

Medical Conditions Considered in AFFF Litigation

Scientific research concerning PFAS exposure and human health continues to develop. Federal health agencies have reported associations between exposure to certain PFAS compounds and particular health outcomes. An association, however, does not by itself establish that PFAS caused a specific individual's illness.

Medical conditions alleged in federal AFFF personal-injury litigation have included certain cancers and other health conditions. The potential relevance of a diagnosis depends on the specific evidence, including the person's exposure history, medical records, scientific evidence, and other possible causes or risk factors.

Kidney Cancer

Studies and federal health information have identified an association between exposure to PFOA and kidney cancer. For someone considering an AFFF-related claim, factors such as the nature and duration of exposure, timing of the diagnosis, treatment history, medical records, and other potential risk factors may need to be examined.

Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer has also been examined in research involving PFOA exposure and has been alleged in AFFF-related litigation. A diagnosis alone does not establish that AFFF or PFAS caused the disease. A detailed evaluation may consider the individual's exposure circumstances together with medical and scientific evidence.

Other serious illnesses have also been discussed or alleged in PFAS-related litigation. Whether a particular diagnosis may support a legal claim depends on the facts of the individual case and the applicable law.

What Compensation May Be Available?

Depending on the facts of the case and the applicable law, an AFFF personal-injury or wrongful-death claim may seek damages for losses such as:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Hospitalization, surgery, medication, rehabilitation, and related treatment
• Reasonably necessary future medical care
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Reduced quality of life
• Loss of companionship or support suffered by a spouse
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Other damages potentially available under applicable wrongful-death laws

The damages available in any particular case depend on numerous factors, including the individual's injuries, evidence of exposure, applicable law, and the circumstances surrounding the claim. No specific settlement, verdict, compensation amount, or outcome can be guaranteed.