June 17, 2024
Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect us from wildfires, house fires and everything in between. Evidence shows that they are more likely to develop certain types of cancer, as well as chronic conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Researchers are working to better protect these modern-day heroes while they do their job.
Dr. Paul White, a Research Scientist at Health Canada, is working on firefighters’ exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. Firefighters had concerns about the impact of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (known as PAHs), since they are products of combustion, and firefighters are potentially more exposed than other people.
This elevated exposure may also happen through contact with the skin. As such, Dr. White and his colleagues tried to find out how to decontaminate the skin in order to prevent the chemicals from entering the body.
In one research study, one group of firefighters were asked to use special wipes to clean their wrists, necks and foreheads since those are the areas where skin might be most exposed. Another group of firefighters was asked to clean the same areas with detergent and water.
“The detergent and water removed about half of the PAHs found on the skin, which was more than the wipes. But none of the interventions reduced the amount of chemicals that made it into the body,” says Paul. “Perhaps skin penetration takes place too quickly for any type of post-exposure skin cleaning to be effective. By the time they come out of the fire, it might be too late. Future research will be required to confirm these findings.”
“We are moving forward with using silicone wristbands as a novel way to sample the air surrounding the firefighters,” says Paul. “They put it on their wrist, hang it on a loop on the outer surface of their jackets, and place them at various locations in the fire station; we use them to get a sense of their exposures on the scene and in the station.”
Next steps
The Government of Canada is moving forward to further protect firefighters from the potential risks associated with exposures to chemicals like PAHs and flame retardants. In support of health protection for these brave individuals, the Firefighter Action Plan was launched in August 2021, and the National Framework on Cancers Linked to Firefighting Act became law in June 2023.
At the same time, researchers and stakeholders continue to work together to find solutions. Over the last two years, Health Canada has co-hosted workshops with firefighters and scientists to identify knowledge gaps and provide direction for continuing research. Among other things, it was determined that more work needs to be done to better protect understudied populations, such as volunteer, female, military and aviation, wildland, Indigenous, and remote firefighters.
“Volunteer firefighters, for example, sometimes leave their gear in their vehicle, to be ready to respond quickly should they be called in,” explains Paul. “They might be continuously exposed to the chemicals that were deposited on their personal protective equipment (PPE) while they were working. We need to know what that means in terms of health risks.”
Firefighters run into danger when others run out. Paul and his team are among many dedicated researchers working hard to help better protect firefighters moving forward.