Firefighters and Asbestos Cancer:
Firefighters risk their lives for us on a regular basis, battling dangerous blazes—but remarkably, fire is not their greatest mortal enemy. As NBC News reports, cancer has become the number-one killer of firefighters in America, due to their regular exposure to many carcinogens. In particular, mesothelioma, a form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure, remains a top concern for the firefighting profession. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters contract mesothelioma at twice the rate of the rest of the U.S. population.
Why Firefighters Are at Risk
Before it was identified as a health risk, asbestos was widely used in construction and in industrial applications for its fire-retardant qualities, and firefighters are at risk for asbestos exposure on several fronts:
- Exposure from their own gear. Older, veteran or retired firefighters likely wore asbestos-lined clothing, helmets and boots in a day when these items were common—inadvertently giving them daily exposure. (These items are no longer in use.)Many older buildings today still contain asbestos, and firefighters face exposure when these buildings catch fire. Although fire personnel wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to protect them from breathing in toxic particles, they frequently remove them too soon after the fire is under control.
- Sometimes a sudden major disaster can expose first responders before they have the chance to protect themselves. A prime example is the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, which exposed a large number of firefighters and other first responders to dangerous asbestos as the buildings collapsed.
Secondary Exposure
Asbestos fibers lodge in clothing, in hair and on skin. If a firefighter in your family didn’t know how to take proper precautions with contaminated clothing, etc., you, too, could be at risk for mesothelioma, due to secondary exposure. This dynamic was especially common before asbestos was identified as a threat, but even now, firefighters can expose loved ones if they are not careful.
Reducing the Risk of Mesothelioma
Not everyone who comes in contact with asbestos will get sick, but, generally speaking, the more contact you have had, the higher the risk. If you’re a firefighter, certain precautions can mitigate the risk of getting ill.
- Always wear your protective gear in dangerous settings. Your SCBA may be uncomfortable, but don’t remove it until you are far away from contaminants. Also, treat contaminated clothing with proper care and caution.
- If you smoke—stop now. Cigarette smoke won’t cause mesothelioma, but it increases the risk of getting the disease if you’ve been exposed to asbestos.
- Get regular cancer screenings. Mesothelioma usually shows up between 10-40 years after exposure. Early detection can substantially improve life expectancy.
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of your occupational hazards, you may be entitled to compensation and assistance. For a FREE consultation, call the Madeksho Law Firm at 1-888-910-MESO, or contact us here.
