New Federal Study Examines Incidence of Cancers Among Firefighters
Friday, April 30th, 2010Firefighters are exposed to smoke, soot and substances in burning buildings that are known human carcinogens such as asbestos, which was widely used in older structures. Do these repeated exposures cause a higher incidence of cancers among firefighters including asbestos-related cancers such as mesothelioma?
The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced this week the agencies will collaborate on a study to examine the potential increased risk of cancer among firefighters.
The broad study will analyze the health data of more than 18,000 current and retired career firefighters from suburban and large city fire departments. The study is intended to improve researchers ability to estimate risk for various cancers and to compare risk of cancer with risks for other causes of death. It also is aimed at enhancing current safety knowledge for firefighters.
As they battle fires, firefighters are exposed to soot, smoke and byproducts of combustion such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and contaminants from building products such as asbestos and formaldehyde.
By analyzing cancer cases and cancer deaths among firefighters, researchers will try to determine whether firefighters as a group develop more cancers and whether the cancers are associated with exposures to contaminants to which the firefighters may have been exposed.
“NIOSH has worked extensively with partners in the fire service to address occupational safety and health risks for firefighters,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “We appreciate the funding and support from the U.S. Fire Administration as we engage the scientifically complex question of firefighting and cancer risk.”
NIOSH is the federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injury, illness and death.
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