Forever Legacy AFFF and the Forever Chemicals

In the debut episode of 2 Veterans 1 Pod, Mater Jones uncovers the "forever legacy" of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF). After 26 years of service on naval flight decks, Mater shares his personal battle with Cardiac Angiosarcoma, a rare malignancy he attributes to decades of chemical exposure.

This episode traces the history of PFOA and PFOS contamination from the landmark Jim Tennant case in 1998 to the current EPA enforcement of a 4.0 parts per trillion limit in drinking water. We discuss the staggering scope of contamination across 721 DOD sites and provide essential guidance for veterans navigating the PACT Act and ACES Act to secure the medical benefits they have earned.

• A Toxic Paradox: AFFF was designed to save lives by smothering petroleum fires on flight decks, but it has become a long-term carcinogen for those it meant to protect.
• Historical Awareness: The Navy and 3M were aware of environmental and health concerns regarding these chemicals as early as the mid-1970s.
• The Scale of Contamination: Of the 721 military sites studied by the DOD, 630 are confirmed to have contamination issues.
• The EPA Standard: New 2024 regulations limit "forever chemicals" to 4.0 parts per trillion, a tiny fraction compared to the millions of parts per trillion found at some military installations.

• Mater’s Story: After over two decades of exposure, including having AFFF in his mouth and on his skin, Mater was diagnosed with Cardiac Angiosarcoma, which affects only 0.007% of the population.
• The Aviation Gap: Military aircrews face a 75% higher risk of melanoma and a 31% higher risk of thyroid cancer compared to the general population.
• Early Diagnosis: While the median age for a malignant cancer diagnosis is 67 in civilians, it drops to 55 for military aircrews.

• Legislative Victories: The PACT Act of 2022 and the ACES Act of 2025 have shifted the burden of proof to a "presumptive status" for many conditions.
• Blood Testing Standards:
  • Under 2 ng/mL: Low risk.
  • 2–20 ng/mL: Potential for adverse effects; prioritize screening.
  • Over 20 ng/mL: High risk; clinical follow-up is essential.
• Direct Action: Mater urges all veterans who handled AFFF to demand toxic exposure screening and document their specific training and service sites.