PFAS / AFFF (forever chemicals)
Contaminant'Forever chemicals,' largely from AFFF firefighting foam used in training and crash response.
Where it comes from in service
Flight lines, fire-training pits, crash crews, and bases where AFFF reached the soil and drinking water.
How it harms the body
PFAS build up in the body and barely leave. They are associated with thyroid disruption, high cholesterol, immune effects, kidney and testicular cancer, and pregnancy-related effects.
How long it stays in you
Years-long half-life; blood levels can stay elevated long after the source is gone.
EPA and federal health agencies link PFAS to thyroid disease, high cholesterol, kidney and testicular cancer, and immune effects; recognition for claims is evolving.
Thyroid, cholesterol, kidney, and cancer-risk effects warrant monitoring given how long PFAS persist.
What to ask your clinician about
- •Serum PFAS testing where available
- •Thyroid panel, lipid panel, kidney function
Bring this to your clinician and your VSO — they decide what testing and care, if any, is right for you. For general, whole-person ways to support your body, see Whole health.
Sources: ATSDR ToxFAQs: Perfluoroalkyls (PFAS) · EPA / DoD PFAS findings. Drafted from the government's and science's own record — VA presumptive lists (PACT Act, 38 CFR, Camp Lejeune), ATSDR ToxFAQs, IARC, and NTP. Sources are cited on every page, and this library has not yet been reviewed by a named clinician or toxicologist. This is documentation to bring to your clinician and VSO — not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a determination of service connection. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.