Excerpts from foxillinois.com:
Recently, the Champaign-Urbana community has rallied behind a local firefighter battling cancer.
Firefighters face a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of cancer-related deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), cancer has caused 61% career firefighter line-of-duty deaths since 2002.
Part of the reason is that modern-day fires are burning faster, hotter and producing thicker and more toxic smoke. Those toxic chemicals then get trapped inside uniforms. This new research has changed the way crews handle their gear after a fire, like hosing down the gear to remove the soot.
For more than a decade, the Illinois Fire Service Institute has been partnering with other institutions to conduct studies. Many times, they will have a
first responderfirefighter go from live-fire training straight to their research lab. There they can test theresponderfirefighter for chemical exposure. That information is then used to find ways to limit firefighters’ exposure while on the job.Last July, President Donald Trump signed legislation requiring the CDC to start collecting data. A registry was created to study the link between firefighters and cancer. While doctors today still often can’t be certain if a firefighter’s cancer is related to his or work job, this registry will help change that.
