Fire fighters in our study had a greater number of cancer diagnoses and cancer-related deaths. 

These were mostly digestive, oral, respiratory, and urinary cancers.

There were about twice as many fire fighters with malignant mesothelioma, a rare type of 

cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Exposure to asbestos while fire fighting is the most likely explanation for this.

The chance of lung cancer diagnosis or death increased with amount of time spent at fires. 

The chance of leukemia death increased with the number of fire runs

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pgms/worknotify/pdfs/ff-cancer-factsheet-final.pdf


Researchers studied cancer rates for 29,993 firefighters in San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia between 1950 and 2009. There were two major findings, according to NIOSH:
-- "Cancers of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems accounted mostly for the higher rates of cancer seen in the study population. The higher rates suggest that firefighters are more likely to develop those cancers."

exposure to carcinogenic materials

But it turns out that one disease – cancer – claims many more lives of firefighters than any real-time danger they may face while on the job, according to a recent study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.naturalnews.com/054011_firefighters_cancer_occupational_hazard.html

But when firefighters enter a burning building, they're fighting more than flames; they're also fighting to protect themselves against a toxic soup of chemicals sticking to their gear.

Chemicals you wouldn't think could penetrate the gear.

“We're finding reason to believe it can, and that comes from the standpoint in what we're seeing the increase cancer rate with firefighters compared to everyday individuals,” explains Chief Little.

Five years ago, the department began conducting physicals, and that's when the Chief says the cancer concern became real.  “We've help identified cancerous or pre-cancerous conditions in 6 or 7 of our guys.”

 Mark Sanders is the president of the Ohio Association of professional firefighters, and supports that bill.   “They absorb through the skin which is the largest entry point of your body and we're finding more and more that firefighters are getting exposed.

http://www.10tv.com/article/senate-bill-would-protect-ohio-firefighters-job-cancer

When you come back from a call, or at the end of your shift, be the one who puts your gear and the gear of your co-workers into the extractor. If you respond to a wildland fire, be the one who washes that yellow shirt so it’s nice and bright again. Offer to wash other people’s shirts. Even if your teammates choose not to wash their gear, by showing them you’re not afraid to do something different and telling them why you’re doing it, can send a strong message and may help change their mindset."


Picture of steps to prevent cancer