A new wipe test from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center reveals invisible PFAS contamination on firefighter gear, including breathing masks. The non-destructive method could help departments cut cancer risks by changing how gear is cleaned, stored and used.
A simple new test is helping firefighters see a hidden threat that has been clinging to their gear all along.
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have shown that a basic “wipe test” can detect invisible, cancer-linked chemicals on firefighter protective equipment, including breathing masks. The method, described in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, offers a practical way for fire departments to find and reduce exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they do not easily break down in the environment or the human body. They are used in firefighting foams and in coatings that help gear resist heat, water and oil. Over time, research has linked PFAS exposure to increased cancer risk and other health problems.
Cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths among firefighters, making any new tool to limit exposure especially urgent.
In the study, the Sylvester team focused on the gear firefighters rely on most: turnout coats and pants, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) masks. Instead of cutting into the gear or sending it away for destructive testing, they used damp polypropylene wipes to swab high-contact areas on the surface.
Those wipes were then analyzed using advanced mass spectrometry, a lab technique that can detect tiny amounts of chemicals. The results were sobering. Every set of gear tested carried PFAS, with some samples reaching concentrations in the hundreds of nanograms per gram. Even the inside of breathing masks, where firefighters expect clean air and a protective seal, showed PFAS contamination.
One of the study leaders compared the new approach to “turning on a blacklight in a dark room,” a way of suddenly revealing what the eye cannot see.
“Think of it as turning on a blacklight in a dark room,” co-author Alberto Caban-Martinez, a deputy director and investigator at Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI), said in a news release. “Suddenly, you see what’s been hiding all along.”
The findings suggest that PFAS do not just stay locked inside the fabric or coatings of gear. Instead, they can migrate to surfaces that firefighters touch with their hands, faces and necks, and that they carry back into fire trucks, stations and even their homes.
“It’s like smoke that never clears,” added co-author Erin Kobetz, the director and principal investigator of Sylvester FCI. “These chemicals ride home on gear, settle in firehouses, and can end up in the bloodstream.”
The wipe test itself is simple, quick and non-destructive, which makes it especially promising for real-world use. Because it does not damage textiles or equipment, departments could use it repeatedly after major incidents, foam-heavy responses or multi-alarm fires to decide what needs cleaning and how urgently.
The Sylvester team frames the test as a decision-making tool. By showing where PFAS are present and how heavily surfaces are contaminated, it can guide:
– When to clean or launder turnout gear
– How to bag and transport gear back from a scene
– Which items need deep decontamination before the next call
The researchers also went beyond detection. Using the surface measurements, they estimated how PFAS on gear could translate into internal exposure over time. Their conclusion: even trace amounts on equipment can add up to meaningful exposure across a firefighter’s career, especially when combined with other sources such as firefighting foam and station dust.
That is why they emphasize keeping PFAS as far from firefighters’ bodies and workplaces as possible.
“We want PFAS to stay off skin, off gear, and out of stations,” added co-author Natasha Schaefer Solle, a Sylvester FCI deputy director and investigator. “A quick wipe test helps crews make smarter choices—before invisible hazards become lifelong burdens.”
The new study builds on years of work by Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative, which combines research, education and advocacy to lower cancer risk in the fire service. The initiative has helped change firehouse culture through mobile cancer screening clinics, decontamination kits on trucks, and training programs in English and Spanish that stress cleaning gear, showering quickly after fires and limiting take-home contamination.
It has also supported policies such as Florida’s presumptive cancer law, which provides financial support for firefighters diagnosed with certain occupational cancers.
The goal is to give firefighters practical tools and evidence they can use right now, while longer-term efforts to reform PFAS use and develop safer gear continue.
“Our pledge is to protect those who protect us,” added Kobetz, who is also an associate director of community outreach and engagement at Sylvester and the John K. and Judy H. Schulte Senior Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. “From gear testing to health screenings, every step moves us closer to a safer fire service.”
Next, the researchers expect departments to begin piloting the wipe test in the field, using it to map contamination patterns in their own fleets and stations. Over time, that data could help refine cleaning schedules, influence purchasing decisions for new gear and support broader policy changes around PFAS in firefighting equipment.
For firefighters, the message is both alarming and empowering: the threat is real, but it is no longer invisible. With a simple wipe, departments can start to see where “forever chemicals” are hiding — and take concrete steps to keep them off the bodies of the people who run toward danger.