Cancer rates among firefighters – both for specific types of cancer and for all cancers combined – are higher than those in the general U.S. population, reports a recent NIOSH study.

Cancer rates among firefighters – both for specific types of cancer and for all cancers combined – are higher than those in the general U.S. population, reports a recent study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This study, which analyzed approximately 30,000 firefighters in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco, included firefighters who had been working in these cities from about 1950 through around 2009. The findings are as follows:

• The types of cancer that were most prevalent in the firefighters studied were cancers affecting the respiratory, digestive and urinary systems.
• Mesothelioma, a rare and deadly type of cancer linked to exposure to asbestos, affected the firefighters studied twice as often as it did individuals in the general U.S. population.

While the NIOSH plans to conduct additional phases of this study to further analyze some of the specific occupational risk factors that may play a role in causing higher cancer rates among firefighters, some of the preliminary analysis has posited that firefighters are often exposed to:

• Asbestos, particularly when they respond to incidents at older buildings
• Carcinogens that are the products of combustion, such as benzene and formaldehyde.

It’s important to note that this study did not:

• Consider other cancer risk factors, such as individual’s lifestyle choices (i.e., smoking, drinking alcohol, etc.)
• Include a substantial number of women and minorities.

While clearly more research needs to be done into the link between working as a firefighter and having a greater risk of developing cancer later in life, one thing is certain – there are a number of occupational hazards that firefighters regularly encounter and that can have long-term negative effects on their health.

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