By Amanda Cuda
The Connecticut Post
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A Centers for Disease Control study shows that firefighters have more cancer diagnoses and cancer-related deaths than the general population — now some say it’s time for a National Firefighter Cancer registry.
Calling it “an important public health step,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, and others in the region are asking for the creation of the registry.
“Cancer is a concern for every firefighter who runs into a burning building,” Blumenthal said, adding that many household items, such as mattress and drapes, can emit noxious fumes when burned.
In 2010, several agencies — including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — began a multiyear study of nearly 30,000 firefighters from Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Not only did the firefighters have more cancer deaths and diagnoses then other Americans, they also had roughly twice the rate of malignant mesothelioma, a type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
The study further found that a firefighter’s chance of lung cancer increased with the amount of time spent at fires, and the chance of leukemia death increased with the number of fire runs.
Blumenthal is championing the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, a piece of legislation, introduced Tuesday, that would require the CDC to develop and maintain a voluntary database of firefighter cancer incidence data. He said a fire registry would paint a fuller picture of how cancer is afflicting firefighters, with the goal of preventing these illnesses.
“If we know the medical history (of firefighters), more action can be taken,” he said.
Bridgeport Hospital pulmonologist Dr. Philip Greenspan said he applauded the idea of a registry, particularly given the risk firefighters take.
“Certainly, we know firefighters are exposed to all sorts of toxins when they walk into a building,” Greenspan said. “They have no idea what they might be inhaling.”
A prime example of this, he said, was the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which has its 15th anniversary this weekend.
Following the tragedy, many first responders and survivors developed health problems believed to be linked to carcinogens and pollutants at the various attack sites.
Bridgeport Fire Chief Richard Thode supports the registry.
He said the department has taken several steps to protect its firefighters from toxins, including installing special washing machines for their turnout gear. The registry is a larger extension of that.
“The nice thing with a registry is that we’ll be able to track certain areas (where illnesses are common) and the age of the firefighters involved,” he said.
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