There's a push by federal lawmakers to protect firefighters locally and across the country.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced the PFAS Firefighter Protection Act outside the City of Newburgh Fire Department Monday.

PFAS chemicals are found in some types of firefighting foam as well as in some protective equipment.

If passed, the bill would prohibit using firefighting foam with PFAS and create a federal ban on the manufacture, importation and sale of firefighting foam with the chemical in it, within two years of enactment.

Exposure to PFAS chemicals has been linked to birth defects and cancers.