( August 21, 2026, 12:32 PM EDT) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPMDL) agreed to centralize in a Minnesota federal court cases alleging that specialized personal protective equipment used by firefighters contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are alleged to be toxic and harmful to both firefighters and the environment, rejecting calls from certain plaintiffs and defendants to add their cases to an MDL involving claims related to the firefighting agent aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)....