“It’s infuriating that this could be allowed,” says Diane Cotter (with husband Paul at Franklin Street Station in Worcester, Mass., on Dec. 9).Photo:Christopher Churchill
Christopher Churchill
In the months following Paul Cotter’s 2014prostate cancerdiagnosis, his wife, Diane, watched helplessly as her once healthy and fit husband, a lieutenant with Massachusetts’ Worcester Fire Department, spent his days wasting away in the recliner.
“I couldn’t get him out of that chair,” says Diane, 63, of Paul, now 64, in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. “He was literally leaving me physically and emotionally, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Diane was convinced that Paul’s cancer was the result of toxic smoke and gases he was exposed to because of a failure in the protective coat and pants — known asturnout gear— worn while battling fires. So one day she rummaged through his gear in the basement, inspecting it with his powerful flashlight, and made a startling discovery.
“I saw all these quarter- and dime-size holes in the crotch area,” she recalls. “I told myself, ‘Holy cow, this is how all these chemicals got into his body.’ ”
Diane has since been on a quest to understand what could have contributed to her husband’s diagnosis — and also to explain what’s behind the skyrocketing cancer rates among firefighters.
Other Worcester, Mass., firefighters stricken with cancer have reached out to Paul Cotter for advice. “I’ve got a list of 55 guys,” he says. “Most of them have prostate cancer.”.Christopher Churchill
Since 2002 cancer has been responsible for the deaths of almost two out of every three firefighters, according to theInternational Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
What Diane — the subject of the recentMark Ruffalo-produced documentaryBurned: Protecting the Protectors— eventually learned is that the coats and pants that many of the nation’s 1.2 million firefighters depend on for protection against searing heat, liquids and smoke contain large amounts of the toxic industrial compoundPFAS(per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). This group of synthetic chemicals, used to repel water and prevent moisture-related burns, have been linked to a myriad ofcancersand other health disorders.
For more on Diane Cotter, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
“Initially I was searching to find information to prove that their gear didn’t contain these chemicals,” explains Diane, whose efforts have fueled pressure to develop PFAS-free gear for the nation’s firefighters. “But as I peeled back the layers, I realized that this gear that was meant to protect firefighters was actually killing them.”
“It’s time for this story to be heard,” tweeted Mark Ruffalo (with the Cotters in 2019), who produced ‘Burned,’ the documentary about Diane’s crusade.Courtesy Diane Cotter
Courtesy Diane Cotter
The news that upended the couple’s life came one morning not long after Paul had been promoted to lieutenant after 28 years as a firefighter.
“When the doctor dropped the bomb and said, ‘Well, it’s cancer,’ ” recalls Diane, “all I could think is, ‘This is a death sentence.’ ”
After her discovery of the holes in Paul’s protective pants, she began emailing everyone from firefighters to scientists while trying to learn everything she could about turnout gear. She soon began reading about how firefighters in Europe had begun moving away from using gear containing PFAS, which can be found in everything from dental floss to food packaging.
“Diane is an absolute bulldog,” says retired firefighter Mark Whalen (left, with Paul Cotter at the Franklin Street Station on Dec. 9), who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020.Christopher Churchill
“I’d never heard of them before,” she says of the group known as“forever chemicals”because they don’t break down in the environment and in humans when absorbed through skin or inhaled.
“I barely graduated from high school, so initially I couldn’t understand much of his terminology,” says Diane.
Paul Shea
“But he told me that the gear contained staggering amounts of PFAS, some of the largest levels he’d ever seen," she adds.
Though Paul has been in remission since 2020, Diane — whose 35-year-old son Pauly is a firefighter in Worcester — continues her advocacy to help change gear and save others’ lives.
“My work is seeking justice,” says Diane Cotter (with husband Paul at Franklin Street Station in Worcester, Mass., on Dec. 9).Christopher Churchill
“There’s no joy in this,” she says. “But we’ve got to protect the next generation. The cost to Paul and myself was great. But the cost of doing nothing would be even greater.”
source: people.com
