Higher Cancer Rates Seen Among Firefighters

November 26, 2013- Firefighters from three large cities had higher rates of cancer than the overall U.S. population, according to a new study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

A combined population of 30,000 firefighters in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco had higher rates of several types of cancers, and of all cancers combined, than the U.S. population as a whole, the NIOSH study found. Cancers of the respiratory, digestive and urinary systems were the primary drivers of the higher cancer rates.

The new findings are consistent with the results of several smaller studies. Because the new study examined a larger population for a longer period of time – from 1950 to 2009, almost 60 years – “the results strengthen the scientific evidence for a relation between firefighting and cancer,” NIOSH said in a press release.

Firefighters can be exposed to contaminants from fires, including benzene and formaldehyde, and materials in debris such as asbestos from older structures. The findings do not address other cancer risk factors, such as smoking, diet and alcohol consumption, NIOSH pointed out.

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