San Francisco trying to ban cancer-causing chemicals in firefighter gear, but are alternatives safe? NBC Bay Area [Video]

Lawmakers in San Francisco are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a first-in-the-nation type of ban, prohibiting the use of protective fire equipment containing chemicals believed to cause cancer.

“We’re not willing to negotiate how long we will continue poisoning people,” said Adam Wood, Vice President of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. “The change has to happen now.”

Wood, who is also a firefighter with a rescue squad based out of San Francisco’s Mission District, is among a vocal group of first responders pushing for the ban of so-called “PFAS” or “forever chemicals,” long-lasting compounds that break down very slowly, which are linked to harmful health effects including increased cholesterol levels, immune system effects, and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“I definitely don’t want someone else to have to go through what I did,” said Lt. Magaly Saade, a firefighter and training instructor at the San Francisco Fire Department. “I’ve …