Exposure matters

What should I save if I was around AFFF firefighting foam?

This page is for people who worked around firefighting foam and were later diagnosed with an illness. It says what the court record shows today, what a case check looks at, and what nobody can tell you yet. Start by saving your work history, medical records, and the names of people who saw that work.

Call or text about an exposure check Read the status first

Nothing on this page says a product caused an illness, and nothing here says anyone has a claim. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.

Written by the Vetted Cases team

Plain words. General information, not legal advice.

Posted May 20, 2026Updated July 22, 2026

Firefighter turnout gear and a helmet resting in an empty station bay — Turnout gear, station bay
The PFAS foam these cases are about was on the gear, in the trucks, and in the wash water.

Where this comes from

You can open every source we used

We checked these original sources on July 22, 2026. Each link opens the source so you can read it for yourself.

Original links

Sources and what they explain

U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina

The public court record for MDL 2873

Where it applies: Coverage stated by the source; location-specific rules vary
What it helps explain: The court posts its own case counts and orders. You can read them yourself.
Date checked: Live public source; July 22, 2026

Source	Where it applies	What it helps explain	Date checked
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina The public court record for MDL 2873	Coverage stated by the source; location-specific rules vary	The court posts its own case counts and orders. You can read them yourself.	Live public source; July 22, 2026

Where these cases stand

Litigation status

Checked against the court record.Updated when it changes.

Status as of: July 2026
Where the cases are: Federal MDL 2873, U.S. District Court, District of South CarolinaCases from around the country are grouped in one court for the early steps.
Stage right now: About 15,200 injury cases were pending in that court in July 2026That count comes from the court record. It moves up and down every month.
Trials so far: No AFFF injury case has reached a jury yetTest trials have been set and moved before. None has been tried to a verdict.
Water system cleanup settlements: None of it went to injury claims. Over 11 billion dollars went to water systems.The makers of the foam paid water systems to clean up drinking water. There is no group settlement for people who got sick.
Where this comes from: The public court record for MDL 2873The court posts its own case counts and orders. You can read them yourself.

When the legal facts change, this page changes.

Who this may apply to

Two things get looked at together. One is where and when you were around the foam. The other is what a doctor found.

Part one. The exposure

Fire serviceTraining burns, structure fires, foam trailers, washing gear and apparatus after a call.
Military serviceFire school, flight line work, hangar foam systems, crash crews, and base housing.
Airport and industrialCrash rescue crews, refineries, chemical plants, and places that stored or tested foam.
Living near a siteA home near a base, an airport, or a plant, or a water notice from your town about these chemicals.

Rough years and place names are enough to start. Work, training, and purchasing records may help confirm the details later.

Part two. The diagnosis

The diagnosis and the details of the exposure both matter. Different firms may use different screening criteria, and those criteria can change as the evidence and litigation develop. The case check records what you know so an attorney can compare your facts with the current requirements.

The name a doctor gave the condition
The month and year you were told
The hospital or clinic that found it
Whether there was a biopsy or a scan
Treatment you had or are having now
Whether a family member died from it

If your condition is not on the list, say so anyway.

What records help

Copies are fine. You do not need originals, and you do not need all of it. Missing records never block a case check.

See the full list

Service records

[DD-214] or other discharge paperwork
Orders and base assignments with dates
Job title or rating while you served

Training and department records

Fire academy or burn tower records
Run reports or incident logs you can name
Years at each station or department

Employer records

Job titles, plants, hangars, and dates
Safety sheets or product labels you kept
Names of foam brands if you remember any

Diagnosis records

The name of the condition and the date
Doctors, clinics, and hospitals involved
Pathology, biopsy, or imaging reports

Work out which of these apply to you

The AFFF exposure check asks where and when you were around the foam and turns that into your own records list, with who usually has each one. Nothing leaves the page until you press send at the end, and it never says whether anyone has a claim.

Open the AFFF exposure check

How a case check works for exposure matters

A crash happened on one day. Exposure happened over years, so the questions are different and there are more of them. A long timeline like this can take more than one call, and you can text records over whenever you find them.

A timeline before paperwork

Where you were, roughly when, and what you did there. Years are fine. You do not need exact dates to begin.

Then the diagnosis

What the doctor called it, when you were told, and who treated you. If you are still being treated, say that.

Records come later

Nobody asks a hospital or a base for your file until you sign a release that names the place and what is being asked for.

A licensed attorney reads it

Same three answers as any other matter. We need more details, a lawyer wants to talk with you about representation, or the firm cannot take this one.

If another firm has to handle it

Depending on where you live and what happened, another law firm may need to assist or handle it. We will name that firm and ask your permission before sharing anything.

What nobody can tell you today

If someone answers any of these before reading your file, that should worry you.

Whether your exposure and your diagnosis add up to a claim
That is the whole point of the review. Anyone who answers it from a web page has not read your file.
What any case is worth
We do not estimate that here, and no honest calculator can. Amounts you see online come from other people's files.
How much time you have
Time limits change by state, by court, and by what happened to you. Do not take a number off a website, including this one.
Whether the current path stays open
Courts change how these cases move. If that happens, the status band at the top of this page changes with it.

A quick reality check

What this page can and cannot tell you

This page cannot decide whether AFFF exposure caused an illness, whether anyone qualifies, case value or a legal deadline. Those questions depend on the complete work, exposure and medical record, current law and a licensed attorney's review.

Start with the timeline you already have

Where you worked, roughly when, and what a doctor told you. That is enough to begin. A licensed attorney reads it and writes back with a next step, either way.

This page is not legal advice. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you. Representation begins only with a written agreement you read and sign.

Start a private case check

Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. The court details and dates on this page come from the public record for MDL 2873 and can change.

Depending on where you live and what happened, another law firm may need to assist or handle it. We will name that firm and ask your permission before sharing anything.

Last updated

July 22, 2026

We checked the answer and the links on this date.

Keep reading

AFFF and firefighter answers

Choose the question closest to yours. Each page gives a plain answer, practical steps and links to the original sources.

Where AFFF exposure records may existRead the answer Firefighter jobs and tasks around AFFFRead the answer AFFF health records: diagnosis, treatment and exposureRead the answer AFFF MDL 2873: how to read the court recordRead the answer AFFF and PFAS questions for firefightersRead the answer

You do not have to sort this out alone

Tell us the years and the diagnosis. We fill in the rest with you, and a licensed attorney gives you a plain next step.

See what to have ready

Start the AFFF exposure check

Text Call

Call or text (435) 383-8833

Free to start. No obligation. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.