As a disease in which malignant cells develop in the thyroid gland, thyroid cancer affects over 43,000 people nationwide annually. Some of the risk factors for thyroid cancer are being female, genetics, a diet low in iodine, exposure to radiation, and a history of breast cancer. Still, it has recently come to light that exposure to PFAS on military bases can also cause thyroid cancer in the veterans and family members who were stationed at these facilities. Currently, over 700 military bases across the country are contaminated with PFAS, a group of toxic substances that came from firefighters using AFFF. This fire suppressant sometimes contains 98% PFAS, making it very dangerous to the health of people living at military bases.
Exposure to PFOA, one of the most common and toxic chemicals from this group, was found to inhibit the accumulation of iodine in thyroid cells. These substances, also known as "forever chemicals", act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals because of their ability to interfere with the hormone system, which may eventually result in thyroid disease. Veterans and family members who spent time at contaminated military bases and now have thyroid disease might be more susceptible to developing cancer. Moreover, PFOS exposure was found to increase the risk of thyroid cancer in people exposed to it by 56%. This is another common and dangerous substance from this group. The longer a person is exposed to PFAS, the more chances of developing thyroid cancer they have, as these chemicals accumulate in the body over the years.
If you are a veteran or a family member of one who lived at a military base with known PFAS contamination for one cumulative year or longer and worry you might have thyroid cancer, the following are the symptoms you should seek medical attention for:
In animal studies, PFAS were shown to cause hypertrophy and hyperplasia of thyroid follicular cells and had a strong link to low total and free thyroxine concentrations. If these changes take place in the thyroid gland, the risk of developing cancer increases. We encourage veterans and family members with thyroid cancer who lived at PFAS-contaminated military bases to contact our team of professionals, as they might be eligible to file a claim and obtain compensation for their unjust suffering.
With over 35 years of experience in evaluating toxic exposure and personal injury claims, our team has the necessary knowledge and resources to help veterans and family members with thyroid cancer who spent time at military bases contaminated with PFAS determine whether they are entitled to compensation. The only documents you will have to provide us with to have your case reviewed are your military records, which you must retrieve, or evidence of your stay at the military base, and your medical records. If we find out that you qualify to file a military base toxic exposure claim for thyroid cancer, we will put you in touch with a reliable, trustworthy attorney.
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