PFAS Forever Chemicals After a Fire: Why Modern Smoke Damage Cleanup Is More Complicated Than It Used to Be

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are a family of about 12,000 synthetic chemicals used for decades in non-stick cookware, water-repellent fabrics, food packaging, firefighting foam, electronics, and lithium-ion battery components. They are called “forever chemicals” because the carbon-fluorine bonds at the heart of their molecular structure are among the strongest in chemistry. Once PFAS enters an environment, it doesn’t break down on any human timescale.

For most of the last 50 years, PFAS was an industrial and environmental concern, not a restoration concern. That changed recently. The growing body of evidence linking PFAS exposure to elevated cancer risk, hormone disruption, and immune effects has pushed regulators to set drinking water limits in the parts-per-trillion range. And restoration researchers have documented that PFAS shows up in higher-than-expected concentrations after certain modern fires.

Forward-thinking restoration providers, including WrightWay Emergency Services, are updating fire restoration protocols to address PFAS exposure during cleanup. A homeowner-facing summary of what restoration professionals are learning, and what it means for your property, follows.

Where PFAS comes from in a typical home fire

PFAS isn’t created by fire, but fire releases and concentrates it. The three main sources in residential fires are:

• Building materials. Stain-resistant carpet, water-repellent upholstery, certain paints and sealants, and non-stick coatings all contain PFAS. When they burn, PFAS doesn’t vanish. It transfers to the smoke, soot, and residue that settles on surrounding surfaces.
• Consumer goods. Microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, takeout containers, waterproof clothing and bedding, cosmetics, dental floss, and many cleaning products contain PFAS. A typical American home contains hundreds of items with measurable PFAS.
• Lithium-ion batteries. Research published in Fire Technology in 2025 found PFAS in extinguishing water from lithium-ion fires at concentrations between 200 and 1400 nanograms per liter, originating from electrolyte salts and binders in the battery cells themselves. As lithium-ion devices proliferate in Florida homes, this source is growing.
• Firefighting foam. Class B firefighting foams traditionally contained PFAS. Florida has begun transitioning to fluorine-free alternatives, but legacy foam is still in use in some departments and on some commercial properties. If your fire was suppressed with foam, ask the responding department what was used.

Why conventional smoke cleanup doesn’t fully remove PFAS

Standard smoke and soot remediation, even when performed to IICRC S700 standards, is designed to remove visible residue and odor-causing compounds. It works very well for those purposes. But PFAS molecules don’t smell, don’t have a visible color, and don’t behave like soot. They absorb into porous materials at the molecular level and stay there.

Drywall, wood framing, carpet padding, insulation, upholstery, and unsealed concrete all readily absorb PFAS from smoke. Wiping the visible surface clean does not remove PFAS that has penetrated 1/8 of an inch into the substrate. Conventional thermal fogging and ozone treatment don’t address PFAS either, because the carbon-fluorine bond is stable at temperatures and ozone concentrations those treatments produce.

This isn’t a flaw in the IICRC standards. It is that the standards were written before PFAS was understood to be a significant restoration concern. The industry is now updating, and forward-thinking restoration companies are updating their protocols ahead of formal standards revisions.

What modern PFAS-aware fire restoration looks like

A PFAS-aware fire restoration protocol typically includes several steps beyond traditional smoke cleanup:

1. Source identification. Before cleanup begins, we identify probable PFAS sources at the loss: lithium-ion device locations, PFAS-containing building materials, firefighting foam use, and stain-resistant treatments.
2. Targeted material removal. Porous materials in the highest-contamination zones (drywall within five feet of the source, carpet and padding, insulation, upholstery) are removed rather than cleaned. This is the most reliable way to eliminate absorbed PFAS.
3. HEPA + activated carbon filtration. Air filtration during cleanup uses HEPA pre-filters plus activated carbon stages to capture PFAS-bound particulates and any volatile PFAS compounds.
4. Surface decontamination. Salvageable surfaces are cleaned with industry-appropriate decontamination agents and then sealed where appropriate to prevent re-emission of any residual PFAS.
5. Post-restoration testing. For high-concern losses (significant lithium-ion fire, firefighting foam exposure, occupants with health sensitivities), we coordinate third-party PFAS surface and air testing before the property is returned to occupancy.

Insurance and PFAS

This is an evolving area. Most Florida homeowners policies do not have PFAS-specific exclusions and will cover the additional remediation cost when it can be tied to a covered fire loss (see our property damage claims guide). However, getting the additional scope approved typically requires explicit documentation of the contamination source, the testing results, and the remediation methodology. A boilerplate fire restoration estimate that doesn’t mention PFAS is unlikely to capture this cost.

If your fire loss involves a lithium-ion battery source, firefighting foam, or significant burning of synthetic building materials, ask your restoration contractor specifically whether their scope addresses PFAS contamination. If they don’t have an answer, they may not be the right contractor for the loss.

For commercial property managers

If you manage commercial property in Southwest Florida, PFAS is now part of the post-fire risk profile in three ways: tenant health liability if contaminated space is reoccupied without proper remediation, building value impact if PFAS contamination is documented and not properly addressed, and potential lender or insurance questions during refinancing or renewal. Document everything, work with a restoration contractor that addresses PFAS explicitly, and keep third-party testing records.

The takeaway

PFAS isn’t a reason to panic after a fire. It is a reason to ask better questions of your restoration contractor and your insurance adjuster than you might have asked five years ago. The technology to address PFAS is real and effective, but it isn’t automatically included in a default fire restoration scope. Ask whether it should be included in yours.

For any fire restoration question in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, or Collier County, call WrightWay at (941) 379-8669. We respond 24/7 and can scope PFAS-aware remediation when the source profile of the fire warrants it.

Frequently asked questions

What are PFAS, and why are they suddenly a concern after a fire?

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ used for decades in stain-resistant carpet, water-repellent fabrics, non-stick coatings, food packaging, and lithium-ion battery components. Recent research has documented that PFAS shows up in higher-than-expected concentrations after fires, especially fires involving lithium-ion devices or firefighting foam.

Does my homeowners insurance cover PFAS remediation after a fire?

Most Florida homeowners policies do not have PFAS-specific exclusions and will cover the additional remediation cost when it’s tied to a covered fire loss. However, the additional scope must be explicitly documented in the restoration estimate. A boilerplate fire-restoration scope that doesn’t mention PFAS is unlikely to be approved for the extra cost.

Is PFAS contamination dangerous to occupants who reoccupy a restored property?

PFAS exposure has been linked to elevated cancer risk, hormone disruption, and immune effects at very low concentrations. For occupants with sensitivities, post-restoration PFAS testing is reasonable before reoccupancy of a property that experienced significant lithium-ion fire damage or firefighting-foam exposure.

What testing should be done after a PFAS-impacted fire?

Third-party surface wipe testing and air testing for PFAS compounds are the standard methods. Testing is most warranted after fires involving lithium-ion battery sources, Class B firefighting foam application, or extensive burning of synthetic building materials.

Sources and further reading

• Springer Nature : PFAS in soot and extinguishing water from lithium-ion fires
• CSIRO : How to destroy PFAS in batteries
• Chemical & Engineering News : Lithium reduces PFAS to reusable fluorine
• ScienceDirect : PFAS in lithium battery industrial parks