Excerpts from the Poughkeepsiejournal.com:
A bill, which has passed the Senate and is in the House of Representatives, calls for the creation of a national firefighter cancer registry. The registry would be managed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The registry would compile the incidences, make anonymous data available to researchers, and allow for increased collaboration between firefighters, experts and those investigating the links between the profession and the illnesses. The House of Representatives is expected to pass amended legislation in the coming weeks.
Research that has found a strong connection between firefighting and an increased risk for several major cancers including testicular, stomach, multiple myeloma and brain cancers. Firefighters are exposed to a range of harmful toxins such as asbestos and flame retardants that are linked to cancer.
