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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Concurrent Resolution 2
Sponsored by Representative GRAYBER (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: Declares the urgent need to find safer gear for firefighters. (Flesch Readability Score:
61.3).
Declares a commitment to the health and safety of firefighters and to finding an urgent solution
to the problem of firefighting personal protective gear that contains cancer-causing chemicals.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the State of Oregon has long benefited from the heroic, selfless and dedicated service
of its firefighters; and
Whereas the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer con-
cluded in 2024 that firefighting is a Group 1 carcinogen; and
Whereas the Group 1 designation—based on research, data and examination of firefighting pro-
cesses, equipment and personal protective gear—concludes that exposure to known carcinogens is
present in every active fire scenario, regardless of the type of gear worn by firefighters; and
Whereas the Group 1 designation indicates that the profession of firefighting is as dangerous to
human life as cigarette smoking; and
Whereas exposure to an increasingly complex array of chemicals over the last 30 years has in-
creased a firefighter’s likelihood of contracting occupational cancer; and
Whereas structural and vehicular firefighting exposes firefighters to complete and incomplete
products of combustion, both of which have long-term and short-term health effects; and
Whereas perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used, long-lasting
chemical compounds, components of which break down very slowly over time; and
Whereas countless studies have shown that PFAS are carcinogens, including as a product of
incomplete combustion when PFAS compounds are present; and
Whereas the State of Oregon has recognized cancer as an occupational presumption for fire-
fighters since 2009, assuming that the occupation and duties predetermine an increased risk of ac-
quiring cancer; and
Whereas in 2023, it was determined that the personal protective gear worn by firefighters con-
tains cancer-causing PFAS; and
Whereas there is no effective current substitute for the cancer-causing PFAS used in the man-
ufacturing process for firefighting personal protective gear; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:
That we, the members of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly, declare our support for this
state’s heroic and dedicated firefighters, and we declare our commitment to ensuring their health
and safety; and be it further
Resolved, That we support continued research into the effects of PFAS, and we stress the ur-
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 1983 HCR2
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gency of finding industry solutions for manufacturing firefighting personal protective gear that does
not contain PFAS; and be it further
Resolved, That as soon as suitable non-PFAS firefighting personal protective gear is available,
the Legislative Assembly will enact legislation banning the future use of PFAS in personal protec-
tive gear and ensuring that personal protective gear containing PFAS is quickly replaced through-
out this state.
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