NIOSH report on firefighter cancer … SF, Philly, Chicago

 

From a recent study: Exposure–response relationships for select cancer and non-cancer health outcomes in a cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia 1950–2009

ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between firefighting exposure and specific health outcomes among career firefighters in the U.S.

Methods: Researchers analyzed eight types of cancer and four non-cancer outcomes using conditional logistic regression. Each case was matched with 200 controls based on age. Exposure was measured through "exposed-days," "fire-runs," and "fire-hours." Different statistical models were used to assess how these exposures correlated with cancer risks over time.

Results: Among 19,309 male firefighters, there were 1,333 cancer deaths and 2,609 cancer cases. The study found a strong link between fire-hours and increased lung cancer risk. A similar association was observed between fire-runs and leukemia mortality. However, the risk for colorectal and prostate cancers appeared to be lower, possibly due to the "healthy worker effect" or regular medical screenings.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that firefighters face a slightly higher risk of lung cancer and leukemia due to their occupational exposure. While this supports a potential causal link between firefighting and cancer, the effects are relatively small and require careful interpretation. NIOSH will continue monitoring the long-term health of this firefighter cohort.

The full report is available here: Exposure–response relationships for select cancer and non-cancer health outcomes in a cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia 1950–2009 * (2015) [PDF 662 KB, 9 pages]