- Sputnik International, 1920
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Firefighters 1.6 Times More Likely to Die From Cancer Caused by Toxic Chemicals, Study Says

© AP Photo / John MinchilloFirefighters put out a fire in a vehicle near which lay a box of spent fireworks, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Firefighters put out a fire in a vehicle near which lay a box of spent fireworks, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) - Sputnik International, 1920, 10.01.2023
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Firefighters are far more likely to die from certain types of cancer, heart attacks and stroke than the general population because of their constant exposure to toxic chemicals, according to the results of a new study published by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) on Tuesday.
"A new study commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and independently carried out by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), has found that firefighters’ mortality rate from all cancers is 1.6 times higher than the general population. The same study also revealed that firefighters are dying from heart attack at five times the rate of the general public and almost at three times the rate from a stroke," UCLan said in a statement. commenting on the study.
A picture shows a tree burned by a wildfire in Tarascon, southeastern France, on July 15, 2022. - An investigation was opened on July 15 on a fire, now contained, which covered 1,000 hectares and burnt through at least 300 hectares of the Montagnette forest massif south of Avignon. The fire was triggered on July 14 by sparks generated on a railroad track by a passing freight train, the prefecture said. (Photo by CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP) - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.08.2022
World
Firefighters Manage to Stop Catastrophic Wildfire in Southwest France
According to the research, the main threat is posed by carcinogens such as benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toluene, which are released in fires.
"We already knew that fire contaminants were very likely causing cancer and other diseases in firefighters. Now, we have evidence that cements that belief and also shows that contaminants can impact their mental health. No firefighter should suffer unnecessarily and there is much more that fire services can be doing to reduce exposure to fire contaminants," FBU national officer Riccardo la Torre said.
Professor Anna Stec, who led the study, said that this research would bring to light the wide range of occupational hazards that firefighters face. In this regard, health monitoring and reducing exposure from contaminants at the workplace will be crucial in protecting firefighters, she added, as cited by UCLan in the statement.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала