SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois is one step closer to banning companies from manufacturing, selling, and distributing firefighting protective gear that contain forever chemicals. Sponsors and advocates believe the legislation can address concerns regarding PPE by eliminating the sale of turnout gear containing PFAS and improve long-term health risks that firefighters face.
The plan requires companies selling protective equipment containing PFAS to provide written notice of why the chemicals are added to the gear by the end of this year.
Illinois could then ban people from selling any PPE containing forever chemicals to fire departments starting January 1, 2027.
"Although the fire service has known that PFAS were contained in our protective gear since at least 2018, nothing was done about it until state laws and litigation started to affect the bottom line of these manufacturers," said Steve Shetsky, the northern district legislative representative for American Fire Fighters of Illinois.
Manufacturers that sell auxiliary firefighting protective equipment would be banned from knowingly selling or distributing the gear intentionally containing PFAS starting January 1, 2030.
The Illinois Fire Chiefs Association currently opposes the bill. However, Executive Director John Buckley stressed that they are only concerned about the 2027 effective date for new gear.
"While PFAS-free gear is currently being tested and evaluated in select departments nationwide, these tests have been relatively limited," Buckley said. "Our concern is that our members will be unable to purchase firefighting gear for their firefighters as appropriate gear is not readily available currently."
Buckley suggested Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and AFFI leaders should amend the bill to change the effective date to January 1, 2029. Although, Villivalam and Shetsky stressed that the state cannot wait for more firefighters to die.
House Bill 2409 passed unanimously out of the Senate Labor Committee Tuesday and now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration. The measure previously passed out of the House unanimously on April 10.
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
