If you developed thyroid cancer or thyroid disease after service on a base where firefighting foam was used or drinking water was contaminated, a military thyroid lawsuit is possible through the ongoing AFFF multidistrict litigation in federal court in South Carolina, where thyroid conditions sit inside two active bellwether tracks against 3M, DuPont, Tyco Fire Products, and other manufacturers. No personal injury trial has produced a verdict, no global personal injury settlement exists, and filing has become significantly harder since September 2025.
Who Can File and for Which Thyroid Conditions
The lawsuits are brought against the companies that made aqueous film-forming foam, not against the military. Plaintiffs allege the manufacturers knew for decades that the PFAS chemicals in AFFF were dangerous and failed to warn the firefighters, service members, and communities exposed to them.1Wallace Miller. AFFF PFAS Lawsuit
Qualifying thyroid diagnoses in the litigation include thyroid cancer, thyroid disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, and Graves’ disease, depending on the specific claim track.2National Sea Grant Law Center. AFFF MDL Update Exposure typically means one of two things: hands-on contact with AFFF during firefighting duties or training, or drinking, bathing in, and otherwise using water contaminated by foam that leached into groundwater on or near a base. The Environmental Working Group has confirmed PFAS in drinking water or groundwater at 630 military sites across all 50 states and three territories.3EWG. Interactive Map of Military PFAS Sites
The MDL is not a class action for personal injury purposes. Each plaintiff maintains a separate claim; the consolidation exists to share discovery and try representative “bellwether” cases.4Keefe Law Firm. AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuit Any recovery you receive would be tied to your individual case.
The Science Linking PFAS to Thyroid Disease
PFAS are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals. They alter how the body processes thyroid hormones, reduce iodine absorption, and compete with the proteins that carry thyroid hormones through the bloodstream.5Taylor & Francis Online. Per-Polyfluoroalkyl Substances as Thyroid Disruptors
A 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found “limited or suggestive evidence” linking PFAS exposure to thyroid disease and dysfunction in adults, and recommended thyroid function testing for patients with elevated PFAS blood levels.6National Academies. New Report Calls for Expanded PFAS Testing A 2023 Mount Sinai case-control study found that exposure to PFOS was associated with a 56% increase in the rate of thyroid cancer diagnosis.7Mount Sinai. PFAS Exposure and Thyroid Cancer Risk A federal ATSDR multi-site study of more than 5,700 adults in PFAS-affected communities has produced mixed patterns: in women, higher levels of one PFAS compound were associated with greater rates of hypothyroidism; in men, higher PFOS levels were linked to more hyperthyroidism.8ATSDR. Multi-Site Study Open House Slides
Whether that scientific record is strong enough to prove causation to a jury is the central legal question the court is still working through.
Where the Litigation Stands
MDL 2873 was created in September 2018 before Judge Richard M. Gergel in the District of South Carolina.9U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. MDL 2873 Information Page As of April 2026, roughly 15,222 active personal injury lawsuits sat on the docket, according to the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.10Drugwatch. AFFF Lawsuits That figure jumped sharply after a September 2025 filing surge that added roughly 40,000 new lawsuits in a single 30-day window ahead of a filing deadline.11Fob James Law Firm. AFFF Lawsuit Update
Thyroid conditions appear in two bellwether tracks. The first covers plaintiffs whose illnesses are tied to PFAS in drinking water and includes kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, and ulcerative colitis. Twenty-five plaintiffs were selected for the discovery pool in December 2023, later narrowed to 11 for the trial pool.2National Sea Grant Law Center. AFFF MDL Update The first personal injury bellwether trial, a kidney cancer case, had been set for October 2025 but was vacated after the filing surge overwhelmed the docket, and no new date has been set.11Fob James Law Firm. AFFF Lawsuit Update
A separate bellwether track was set up in the spring of 2024 specifically for liver cancer and thyroid cancer. The court held a “Science Day” on June 20, 2025, where experts presented on whether PFAS exposure can cause these cancers.12Keefe Law Firm. AFFF Settlement Progress The court then set a schedule for general causation expert reports and Daubert motions, the procedure that decides whether expert testimony on causation is reliable enough to reach a jury.13U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Case Management Order No. 33 As of mid-2026, no Daubert ruling on thyroid cancer causation has been issued. A special master is working with the parties on a settlement framework for personal injury claims, but no global deal has been reached.11Fob James Law Firm. AFFF Lawsuit Update
Proof You Need Under the Court’s Current Rules
Judge Gergel has tightened what plaintiffs must show early in a case. In August 2025, Case Management Order No. 36 rejected attempts to avoid federal jurisdiction by omitting or disclaiming AFFF exposure in the complaint, relying on a Fourth Circuit decision that PFAS from different sources becomes commingled at contamination sites.14U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Case Management Order No. 36
In February 2026, Case Management Order No. 37 imposed “proof-first” procedures. Every plaintiff must submit a personal injury fact sheet with a valid name and date of birth, at least one exposure location with approximate dates, and a signed verification. Anyone who filed after March 2025 must also produce medical records or other evidence of the diagnosis. Defendants can move to dismiss cases that miss these requirements after a 14-day cure period.15U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Case Management Order No. 37
Practically, you should be gathering:
- Medical records confirming your thyroid diagnosis, ideally with dates.
- Service or employment records placing you at a specific base or job during specific years.
- Any documentation of the base’s PFAS or AFFF history, whether from DoD investigations, EWG mapping, or local water utility notices.
- Records of your role if you handled foam directly, such as firefighting duties or training exercises.
Filing After September 2025 Is Harder
Following the September 2025 surge, Judge Gergel imposed what has been described as a quasi-moratorium on new personal injury filings, meaning cases brought after September 10, 2025 face additional barriers and case-by-case scrutiny.4Keefe Law Firm. AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuit The path is not closed, but late filers should expect a harder time getting a case accepted into the MDL and should confirm the statute of limitations in their state before doing anything else. Many attorneys who handle AFFF cases work on contingency, taking a fee only if the plaintiff recovers.
VA Disability Claims for Thyroid Conditions
A VA disability claim is a separate process from suing the manufacturers, and the two can run in parallel. The VA does not currently recognize any presumptive service-connected condition tied to PFAS exposure. For thyroid disease specifically, that means no automatic link between your service and your diagnosis: you have to establish that PFAS exposure actually occurred and that a medical connection exists to your condition, claim by claim.16VA. PFAS Exposures
The VA has begun a scientific assessment on kidney cancer as a potential presumptive condition under the PACT Act because that condition currently has the strongest evidence linking it to PFAS. The assessment is a scientific review only; no proposed rule has been issued, and thyroid disease is not part of that first review.17GovInfo. Federal Register Notice on PFAS Review The VA has said additional conditions could be examined later and has invited public comment.18VA. VA to Review Possible Service Connection Between PFAS Exposure and Kidney Cancer Disabled American Veterans has pressed Congress and the VA to designate thyroid disease as a presumptive condition if the agency’s own review does not.19DAV. PFAS Contaminated Water on Military Bases
In a 2025 decision, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals remanded a veteran’s thyroid claim for further development, noting that evidence of PFAS exposure at Plattsburgh Air Force Base could affect the outcome. The Board also emphasized the decision carried no precedential weight.20VA. Board of Veterans Appeals Decision
Blood Testing and Health Monitoring
The Department of Defense offers voluntary PFAS blood testing to current DoD firefighters during annual occupational health exams, as required by the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, with baseline testing for new hires.21Health.mil. PFAS Health Information The program does not cover the broader military population or family members who lived on contaminated bases. PFAS blood testing is not currently offered at VA medical centers, though the VA has said it is reevaluating that position.16VA. PFAS Exposures
The National Academies’ 2022 guidance recommends that people with PFAS blood levels at or above 2 nanograms per milliliter limit further exposure and get screened for conditions including thyroid dysfunction, and that those at 20 nanograms per milliliter or higher seek further clinical assessment.22KFF Health News. PFAS Forever Chemicals Exposure Military Firefighters There is no medical treatment that removes PFAS from the body. A blood test result, though, can become useful evidence in both an MDL claim and a VA disability claim.