Several former employees of Florida State Fire College are suing manufacturers of firefighting suppressants that the facility used. The employees say the chemicals caused cancer and/or other diseases.

Six former employees and two of their spouses filed a class-action lawsuit against ten different manufacturers, alleging they were negligent and purposefully hid findings from studies that showed chemicals in the suppressants were carcinogenic and dangerous to the environment. The employees allege that the manufacturers had known about the adverse effects since the 1970s but continued to manufacture and sell the products to consumers.

Aqueous film-forming foam contains two chemicals that are the focus of the suit, perfluorooctane sulfonate, and perfluorooctanoic acid. These are man-made and readily absorbed after oral exposure. They tend to accumulate in blood plasma, kidney and liver. They are used to suppress fires that involve fuels like petroleum and other flammable liquids.

“All of the Defendants are sophisticated and knowledgeable in the art and science of formulating (aqueous film-forming foam) products,” states the lawsuit. “They understood far more about the properties of and the biodegradability of their additives than any other customer. They chose not to use their knowledge to design safer products.”

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include a firefighter instructor and other employees who suffered from thyroid disease, kidney disease, breast cancer and parathyroid cancer.

Class members may have been exposed to chemicals through consumptions, inhalation or skin absorption, possibly from contaminated groundwater around the college. In two of three wells that act as the college’s water supply, officials found levels of the toxic chemicals at 250 to 270 parts per trillion which is almost four times higher than the EPA’s recommended level.

The plaintiffs ask for damages and the establishment of a medical monitoring program for class members who may not have presented illnesses yet, which would include tests monitoring for thyroid, liver, kidney and reproductive issues.

The defendants have not yet filed a response to this complaint.

Read more from the Ocala Star-Banner