WORK EXPOSURES AS A FIREFIGHTER CAUSE CANCER
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has declared occupational exposures a 'preventable cause of cancer' for firefighters. On 1 July, a working group of the World Health Organisation (WHO) agency announced: “After thoroughly reviewing the available scientific literature, the Working Group classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), on the basis of sufficient evidence for cancer in humans.” It added: “Occupational exposure as a firefighter causes cancer. There was sufficient evidence for cancer in humans for the following cancer types: mesothelioma and bladder cancer. There was limited evidence for cancer in humans for the following cancer types: colon cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, melanoma of the skin, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
Source: IARC alert, news release, Q&A and infographic. Demers P, DeMarini D, Fent K, Glass D, Hansen J, Adetona O and others. Carcinogenicity of occupational exposure as a firefighter, Lancet Oncology, Published online 30 June 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00390-4