AFFF Exposure Concerns in East Texas

Many people who worked or trained in East Texas never knew the foam they were handling could be toxic. It was used for years in drills and emergencies without clear warnings about long-term risks. If you or your family have spent time around AFFF, it may be worth finding out whether that exposure caused the illness you are facing now.

Firefighter Training Grounds and Local Departments

Fire stations and training grounds across East Texas have used AFFF regularly for drills, demonstrations, and emergency calls. Over time, that repeated exposure can raise serious health risks for firefighters, staff, and even nearby residents. Your AFFF attorney in East Texas with Goff Law, PLLC can help investigate where the foam was used and whether your illness may be tied to that specific location.

Military Bases and Surrounding Communities

AFFF was widely used on military bases throughout East Texas to extinguish fuel fires and train service members. That foam seeped into soil and water, creating lasting contamination in neighborhoods surrounding the bases. Some families only learned about the risks years later, after illnesses had already started showing up.

Spillover Into Civilian Water Systems

Even if you never worked in a firehouse or served on a base, you could still have been exposed. AFFF runoff can travel from training sites or emergency response zones into nearby rivers, municipal water plants, and rural wells. In many towns, local water systems were never equipped to filter out these chemicals before they reached your tap.

Ways East Texans May Have Been Exposed to AFFF

Many people assume AFFF exposure only happens on a firetruck or military base, but the truth reaches much further. In East Texas, foam use at training sites, refineries, and military facilities has already affected entire neighborhoods. If you live nearby, work in one of these spaces, or support someone who does, the exposure may have reached your household without warning. You may have been exposed if:

• You worked as a firefighter and trained with foam regularly
• You served on a military base where AFFF was used for drills and fuel fires
• You drank from a well located near a training ground or runway
• You washed turnout gear or uniforms at home
• Your children swam in ponds or ditches near training zones
• You worked at an industrial plant where AFFF was stored or deployed
• You irrigated crops using surface water from a nearby creek
• You lived near a foam storage depot or fire service facility

These examples make it clear that AFFF risks do not stop with firefighters or military personnel. Exposure may come through drinking water or physical contact, sometimes years after the foam was first used. It is unlawful to discharge waste into water that reaches others downstream under Texas Water Code § 26.121, especially when the contamination is later found in your well or in the animals you raise.