California hosts some of the most active military aviation operations in the United States, and for decades those installations used Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) as the primary tool for suppressing aircraft fuel fires. AFFF contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - persistent synthetic chemicals that accumulate in the human body and have been linked by epidemiological research to multiple cancers.
California veterans, Marine Corps and Air Force personnel, Air National Guard members, and civilian airport firefighters at major and regional airports may have experienced significant AFFF exposure. This page outlines what California claimants need to know about AFFF litigation. This content is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney to evaluate your specific situation.
What Is AFFF and Why Is It Dangerous?
AFFF was developed in the 1960s for military use and became mandatory at U.S. air installations and FAA-regulated airports for Class B (flammable liquid) fire suppression. Its key active agents - PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) - belong to the PFAS family of synthetic chemicals that are both extremely stable and biologically active.
PFAS accumulate in blood and organs rather than being metabolized and excreted. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have both conducted studies finding elevated cancer rates in populations with chronic occupational PFAS exposure. Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) specialists who trained with live-fire AFFF drills, handled concentrate, or responded to fuel spill incidents represent one of the highest-exposure occupational groups studied.
Litigation against AFFF manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont (now Chemours), centers on allegations that company-funded research identified PFAS health risks decades before those risks were disclosed to the military or the general public. Documents produced in MDL 2873 have shown internal studies from the 1970s and 1980s flagging toxicity concerns that were not shared with purchasers.
California Military Bases and Airports Where AFFF Was Used
California's large and diverse military footprint includes some of the most significant AFFF exposure sites in the country:
- ·Travis Air Force Base (Solano County, Fairfield) - the largest air mobility installation in the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. Decades of ARFF training operations with documented PFAS detections in surrounding Solano County groundwater and communities.
- ·Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (San Diego County) - home of fighter and helicopter squadrons. ARFF operations at Miramar have a long history, and surrounding San Diego County communities have been subject to PFAS monitoring.
- ·Edwards Air Force Base (Kern/Los Angeles Counties) - the primary Air Force flight test center. Extensive experimental aircraft operations mean a long history of ARFF readiness and AFFF use.
- ·Naval Air Station Point Mugu (Ventura County) - a naval aviation test and evaluation facility with documented AFFF use.
- ·March Air Reserve Base (Riverside County) - an active reserve facility with a long history as a Strategic Air Command base and documented PFAS environmental concerns.
- ·Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - one of the busiest airports in the world. CFR crews here have used AFFF under FAA requirements for decades.
- ·San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport - major Bay Area airports with active AFFF-equipped CFR departments.
California also has dozens of smaller general-aviation airports and former Cold War-era installations where AFFF was regularly deployed.
Cancers Associated with AFFF PFAS Exposure
The cancers most consistently associated with PFAS exposure in scientific literature and in MDL 2873 litigation include:
- ·Bladder cancer - the most common individual claim type in current AFFF litigation
- ·Kidney (renal cell) cancer - among the cancers most strongly linked to PFOA in occupational studies
- ·Testicular cancer - elevated in young male military firefighters
- ·Thyroid cancer - PFAS interfere with thyroid hormone regulation
- ·Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - included in some VA service-connection frameworks
- ·Prostate cancer - higher rates in male firefighting cohorts
- ·Pancreatic cancer - emerging evidence in some litigation frameworks
California has its own occupational disease and workers' compensation system for firefighters, and the state has enacted laws recognizing certain cancers as presumptively job-related for career firefighters. These state-law rights are separate from - and may overlap with - civil litigation rights through MDL 2873. A licensed attorney can explain how California state law interacts with the federal MDL process.
The Federal AFFF Lawsuit: MDL 2873
AFFF personal injury cases from California and all other states are consolidated in Multidistrict Litigation 2873 before Judge Richard Gergel in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Consolidation coordinates pretrial discovery and expert testimony while preserving each claimant's individual case.
3M Company reached a settlement of approximately $12.5 billion with water-utility plaintiffs addressing PFAS contamination in drinking-water systems. DuPont de Nemours, Chemours, and Corteva reached a separate water-utility settlement of approximately $1.185 billion. Neither settlement resolved individual cancer claims, which remain active in MDL 2873.
California cases filed in federal court are transferred to the D.S.C. MDL. The large California military population means California claimants are well-represented in the MDL docket. Cases not resolved through MDL settlement may be remanded to the Central, Eastern, Northern, or Southern District of California for trial.
California Legal Considerations for AFFF Claimants
California's personal injury statute of limitations is generally two years under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1. California recognizes a robust discovery rule for latent-disease and toxic exposure cases under the delayed-discovery doctrine. The limitations period does not begin to run until the plaintiff knew or should have known of the injury and its causal connection to AFFF PFAS exposure.
It is important to understand that the statute of limitations varies by state and by the specific facts of each claim. California's delayed-discovery doctrine has been applied favorably in toxic tort cases, but the rule requires that the plaintiff acted reasonably diligently once they had reason to investigate.
California also provides specific protections for firefighters through the Firefighters' Procedural Bill of Rights and occupational disease presumption statutes (California Labor Code Section 3212 et seq.), which can help establish causation in workers' compensation and may support civil claims. These state remedies and the federal AFFF MDL are distinct pathways. A licensed attorney can help you understand which are available and which best serve your situation.
Wrongful death claims under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 377.60 are generally subject to the two-year limitation period from the date of death. Contact a licensed attorney immediately if a California family member died from a potential AFFF-linked cancer.
How Claimants Have Pursued AFFF Compensation
California AFFF claimants typically work with mass-tort law firms that accept cases on contingency. No upfront legal fees are required; the firm earns a percentage of any recovery. The process involves:
- Records gathering - Military discharge papers (DD-214), employment records, VA medical records, and cancer diagnosis documentation.
- Intake and expert review - Attorneys and medical experts assess whether the exposure history and cancer type align with MDL 2873 intake criteria.
- Filing - A federal complaint is filed, typically in the relevant California federal district, and transferred to MDL 2873 in South Carolina.
- Settlement or trial - MDL settlement negotiations are ongoing; some cases proceed to bellwether or individual trials.
Reported outcomes in individual AFFF personal injury cases vary significantly by cancer type, severity, duration of exposure, and case-specific evidence. There is no uniform AFFF settlement amount. Past outcomes in similar cases do not predict results in any individual case.
Next Steps for California AFFF Cancer Claimants
If you are a California veteran, military firefighter, Marine Corps ARFF specialist, Air National Guard member, or civilian airport firefighter who was exposed to AFFF and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer, or another cancer potentially linked to PFAS, the appropriate first step is a free consultation with a licensed attorney who handles AFFF mass-tort cases.
California has a relatively favorable discovery rule, but the two-year limitations period still creates urgency. Do not assume that delayed discovery will automatically extend your filing window - only a licensed attorney reviewing your specific records can assess the timing risk.
This content is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The statute of limitations varies by state and by individual case facts. Consult a licensed attorney as soon as possible. California firefighters may also have parallel rights under state occupational disease law; ask any attorney you consult whether those pathways apply to your situation.