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Harvard researchers have teamed up with local fire departments to tackle a health care mystery: How does the firehouse itself increase cancer risk among firefighters?
The evaluation of causality in cancers associated with firefighting presents problems common to other applications of occupational epidemiology in adjudication of individual claims for workers’ compensation
Firefighters are engaging in behaviours to increase resilience by working towards cultural change to reduce cancer risk, using social capital to increase networks and expertise, and utilizing internal assets to enact change.
The family of Josh Carney, a fallen Battalion Chief with Midway Fire Rescue in Pawley’s Island,SC, has made it their mission to raise awareness of firefighter occupational cancer.
Phoenix firefighters at Station 5 chipped in to buy a sauna they’re now using as part of their decontamination protocols.
Evaluate the effectiveness of firefighter exposure reduction interventions. Methods: Fireground interventions included use of self-contained breathing apparatus by engineers, entry team wash down, contaminated equipment isolation, and personnel
Risk of Cancer Among Firefighters: A Quantitative Review of Selected Malignancies. A subcohort analysis based on duration of employment revealed that firefighters with 30 or more years of employment had a significantly increased mortality risk for colon cancer
Firefighters don’t think twice about helping and taking care of others ‚Ķ that is until it comes to themselves
The Bedford Fire Department, struck by cancer deaths within its ranks, is taking a proactive measure at detecting any possible traces of cancer — early.
Firefighting continues to be among the most hazardous yet least studied occupations in terms of exposures and their relationship to occupational disease. Exposures are complex, involving mixtures of particles and chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Firefighters may be exposed to toxic combustion products not only during fire fighting operations and training, but also afterwards as a result of contact with contaminated structural fire fighting ensembles. This study characterized the deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) onto structural fire fighting ensembles and off-gassing of combustion products from ensembles after multiple exposures to hostile structural attack fire environments.
Recent statistics from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) show an alarming trend—the number of firefighters dying of cancer has skyrocketed since 1950. The Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FFCSN) notes that there is a cancer epidemic among firefighters and cites numerous examples, such as the fact that 1 out of every 3 active Miami-Dade firefighters has been diagnosed with cancer.
NFPA 1971 protects fire fighting personnel by establishing minimum levels of protection from thermal, physical, environmental, and bloodborne pathogen hazards encountered during structural and proximity fire fighting operations.
Cancer incidence among male Massachusetts firefighters, 1987‚Äì2003. … were used to evaluate the cancer risk in white, male firefighters compared to police and all other occupations in the Massachusetts Cancer Registry from 1986 to 2003.
The fire service industry and profession is evolving rapidly with the guidance provided by far-reaching, evidence-based research. Transformational approaches to tackling fire service occupational cancer have touched on apparatus cab design, redesigned personal protective equipment, exhaust capture systems, cleaning of exposed individuals and their tools , and even station design and decontamination procedures and processes, to name a few.
In support of this project, a two day workshop was held on 19 -20 July 2017 in Columbus Ohio to address this topic. The results of that specific effort are available in separate Workshop Proceedings. The Workshop discussion and related information are partially reflected within this final project report.
Firefighter Exposure to Smoke Particulates. Underwriters Laboratories in collaboration with the Chicago Fire Department and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, recently completed a sixteen month study on the smoke and gas exposure firefighters confront during firefighting operations and subsequent contact exposure resulting from residual contamination of personal protective equipment.
In 2010, NIOSH researchers,  launched a multi-year study to examine whether firefighters have a higher risk of cancer and other causes of death due to job exposures.