With less than a week to go before the 125th Boston Marathon, runners are gearing up from all across Massachusetts.
One Nantucket man, the Deputy Fire Chief, is running for a cause he says is close to his heart.
Sean Mitchell is running to raise money for the Last Call Foundation, an organization created to help inform firefighters and the general public about the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) in firefighter turnout gear.
PFAS are highly toxic chemicals linked to a wide variety of health problems even at very low levels. The toxic chemicals are known to cause various types of cancer and other illnesses, and research is finding the gear meant to protect firefighters is actually making them sick.
Mitchell credits the LCF for playing a huge role in recent studies of PFAS and the dangers they hold.