VIDEO: Tucson Fire Department and the University of Arizona have been partnering for nearly a decade to study just how much a firefighter’s job increases their risk for serious health issues, like cancer.
Their research has led to nationwide safety changes in the firefighting industry and the recognition of more cancers presumed to be caused on the job. Researchers have previously found that firefighters tend to have about 20% higher levels of toxic PFAS chemicals, or “forever chemicals,” in their systems.
That’s according to Dr. Jeff Burgess, a professor at the UA’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
In one of roughly a dozen studies that have started as part of the 30-year Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS) that kicked off in 2016, UA researchers are studying those PFAS levels in firefighters, what causes those elevated numbers, and potential ways to reduce PFAS levels.