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Diane Cotter, the wife of a Massachusetts firefighter, has become a leading advocate in the fight against the use of PFAS chemicals in firefighting gear and foam since her husband, Paul Cotter, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
On a recent episode of the “RFK Jr Podcast,” Cotter told Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Children’s Health Defense chairman on leave, that she believes her husband’s cancer was caused by his exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
She also detailed the challenges she’s faced in raising awareness about the dangers of the toxic chemicals — prompting Kennedy to call her “a nightmare for this industry.”
Call to Erin Brockovich from a New Hampshire fire chief steered her inquiry
Cotter’s husband, a fit and athletic lieutenant at a Worcester, Massachusetts firehouse, was unexpectedly diagnosed with prostate cancer that left him debilitated and depressed.
After his prostate was removed, “He became incontinent to the point that it couldn’t be controlled, to the point that it debilitated him from working,” Cotter said.
The surgery’s aftereffects confined her husband to an easy chair for months, causing him to drift away emotionally — and leading Cotter to start researching the possible causes of his cancer.
She told Kennedy that she recalled Erin Brockovich reporting, “I’ve gotten a call from a New Hampshire fire chief. He has 13 firefighters with cancer. Do you know if the gear has PFOA or PFOS?”
Cotter, who said she had never heard of the chemicals, said, “It literally took one minute to see that Europe was already beginning the discussion of transitioning to non-PFOA-filled turnout gear.”
She soon discovered that the protective gear her husband wore as a firefighter was degrading, with coin-sized pieces of fabric missing from the inside layers. This led her to investigate the gear’s manufacturers, including DuPont, 3M and Gore, and the PFAS chemicals used in their production.
‘Staggering’ levels of testicular cancer among firefighters
PFAS are a family of chemicals used in various products, including firefighting gear and foam, to provide water and oil resistance.
“They’re in your roofing tiles, they’re in your dental floss, they’re in your cosmetics, they’re in stick-resistant cookware,” Kennedy said. These “forever chemicals” act as endocrine disruptors, which are linked to a host of health issues, including kidney and prostate cancer.
Kennedy said firefighters are among the most affected by PFAS exposure due to their contact with contaminated gear and the use of PFAS-containing foam in training and firefighting, particularly at airports.
Airport water drainage results in PFAS chemicals leeching into the surrounding communities’ water supplies, Kennedy said.
He also noted that the chemicals can volatilize from household items like sofas and carpets. “You’re sitting on your sofa on a hot day, and that stuff is going into the air around you, and you’re breathing it, and it’s getting into all of us,” Kennedy warned.
Cotter commented on the negative health effects of PFAS on both men and women. “So many female firefighters … are suffering from these rare reproductive disorders and our male firefighters … have just staggering amounts of testicular cancer,” she said.
She recounted a “stunning” moment when she shared her husband’s prostate cancer diagnosis with a group of firefighters’ wives making braids for the 20-year anniversary of the “Worcester 6” (six firefighters lost in a fire on Dec. 3, 1999). “Every woman at my table lifted her head to say, ‘Mine, too.’”
‘I literally battled the head of a powerful union’
Cotter told Kennedy about the many obstacles she faced in her quest to uncover the truth about PFAS in firefighting gear. She struggled to find answers from industry representatives, institutions and even her husband’s firefighters union.
“I literally battled the head of a powerful union who was quite captured by the perks and incentives in the advertising of the parties,” she said.
Undeterred, Cotter collaborated with scientists like nuclear physicist Graham Peaslee, Ph.D., at the University of Notre Dame and organizations such as the Last Call Foundation to fund and conduct studies on the chemicals used in turnout gear.
The first peer-reviewed study on the subject was published in June 2020, confirming the presence of PFAS in firefighting equipment.
Cotter also worked with Emily Sparer-Fine, director of the Occupational Health Surveillance Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, to confirm that dust in the eating and sleeping areas in the firehouses contained PFAS.
Cotter told Kennedy she worked with legislators, including Massachusetts Sen. Mike Moore and Congressman Jim McGovern, to push for change at the state and federal levels.
Fire industry slow to transition away from PFAS-contaminated gear
Cotter’s efforts contributed to recent developments in legislation and industry changes regarding PFAS-free gear.
In January 2023, she began working with Moore to get the attorney general of Massachusetts, Andrea Campbell, to sue the gear manufacturers.
“Immediately upon entering that plea by Senator Mike Moore, 100 lawmakers signed on in one week,” Cotter said, contrasting this with the years of resistance she faced from the previous administration.
The International Association of Firefighters, under the leadership of Boston’s Edward Kelly, has also made the issue a top priority. “He’s taken us on with a vengeance. He’s made it job one,” Cotter told Kennedy, who praised Kelly and stressed that our society must do more to protect firefighters.
Despite encouraging developments, challenges remain. Cotter told Kennedy about the ongoing struggle to get PFAS-free gear to firefighters, as the transition is happening slowly due to labeling requirements and the influence of manufacturers on safety standards.
She called on listeners to “support those that supported me,” including organizations like the Last Call Foundation, founded to honor firefighter Michael Kennedy of Boston, who died in a fire in 2014 at age 33.
She encouraged people to watch “BURNED: Protecting the Protectors,” a documentary produced by Mark Ruffalo that includes the Cotters’ story, and Sandra Bartlett’s new podcast series, “The Poison Detectives.”
Listen to the ‘RFK Jr Podcast’ on Spotify:
The Defender on occasion posts content related to Children’s Health Defense’s nonprofit mission that features Mr. Kennedy’s views on the issues CHD and The Defender regularly cover. In keeping with Federal Election Commission rules, this content does not represent an endorsement of Mr. Kennedy, who is on leave from CHD and is running as an independent for president of the U.S.
