Our eligibility criteria states that if anyone had ever been employed as a firefighter, participated in training exercises using Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Concentrates (AFFF), or worked in industrial facilities that used PFAS chemicals in the manufacturing process, they are unable to participate in this study.
Firefighting carries the risk of exposure to PFAS through AFFF and some types of personal protective equipment. Since our study is gathering data on drinking water as the main exposure, firefighters who are active, former, or retired cannot be eligible. This applies to career, paid-on-call, and volunteer firefighters. If you are interested in participating in research, please check out the options below.
Educational Resources and Research Opportunities
Even though firefighters cannot take part in CO SCOPE, or the PFAS Multi-Site Study, we think it is important to share information about research and activities going on at the CDC's National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and beyond.
NIOSH wants to know more about the specific questions firefighters ask about their health and exposure. Are firefighters looking for information on cancer risk or reducing exposure? Are they looking to join a study or obtain a test for serum PFAS? If you have these questions or any others, we recommend you to the sources below:
NIOSH National Firefighter Registry (NFR)
The NFR is a large, growing database of health and occupational information on firefighters. The database will analyze and track cancer and identify occupational risk factors for cancer. While the enrollment system and questionnaire are still in development, there is a plan to collect information about firefighters’ use of and exposure to AFFF.
NIOSH Firefighter Information Portal
This page emphasizes that some occupations are more exposed to PFAS than the general U.S. population. These occupations include chemical manufacturing workers, firefighters, and ski wax technicians.
Anyone may sign up to receive a free electronic newsletter with updates about the NFR.