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Dr. Kim Mulvihill Reporting Firefighters put their lives on the line almost every day. Now research shows they put themselves at risk for health problems years later.
Firefighters face immediate health threats such as burns and smoke inhalation, but other dangers are much more insidious and emerge years later to take their toll.
Fighting fires is a dangerous job -- scorching heat, thick smoke, falling debris.
Firefighter: "Couldn't see, everything was totally black; you were just walking, hoping to find daylight"
Sometimes, firefighters die in the line of duty, most recently, five men died fighting an arson in southern California. But sometimes the lethal danger comes long after the flames are put out. New research shows how firefighters also face a higher risk of ten different cancers.
Researchers analyzed data on 110-thousand firefighters from 32 different studies. They found that, compared to workers in other jobs, firefighters are twice as likely to develop testicular cancer and have significantly higher rates of multiple myeloma, non-hodgkins lymphoma, and prostate cancer.
The researchers believe there is a direct correlation between the chemical exposures firefighters face on the job and their increased cancer risk. Burning buildings can mean toxic metals, chemicals and gases, cancer causing compounds like benzene, chloroform, and formaldehyde, not to mention diesel engine exhaust from idling diesel fire trucks.
The terrorist attacks that destroyed the world trade center exposed firefighters to toxic plumes. This research now shows the work firefighters face every day also pose a real danger.
The lead researcher told me her findings raise a red flag. Firefighters need better protective gear. The gear used today is designed to protect against acute dangers like heat and carbon monoxide poisoning. It's not designed to protect against the residues that get on the skin, and many say they are covered in soot - even the groin area - after fighting fires.
How does the soot get on their skin if they're wearing gear? The gear is heavy and hot so they sweat profusely, which opens up the pores in their skin. Once they get out of the immediate fire, they loosen their gear, and since the air is still filthy, soot gets onto their skin, and absorbed through their pores.
