Cancer risks in the fire service

[bill.advanced]

Hi William,

Thanks to our research, we've known for some time that firefighters' exposure to toxic contaminants at work has links to cancer.

Now, we've had a hugely significant and vital step forward in the fight to get firefighters the protection they need to do their jobs safely.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health Organisation body, has today declared that occupational exposure as a firefighter has been classified as carcinogenic (a preventable cause of human cancer).
Read here
Watch the video
This is a huge wake-up call for the government and fire and rescue services. So far, government ministers, the National Fire Chiefs Council and Fire Service employers have ignored our consistent warnings of this risk and been slow to act.

It's time for action.

The government need to urgently acknowledge that cancer is an occupation hazard within firefighting. And we need to see them pushing ahead with urgent improvements to protect firefighters from fire contaminants and utilising the FBU's ground-breaking DECON training and the UCLan best practice report.

No one should face developing cancer or a disease because of their work. We can be proud that we are leading the way in making firefighting safer - and we will continue to do everything in our power to fight to protect your health and safety.

In solidarity,

Riccardo la Torre
FBU National Officer

[Zorro]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023...cals-study

[bill.advanced]

We don't need any of these surveys to inform us of what we already know.
Not that I am in any way against anything that will highlight a health issue.
When I joined the fire service many retirees lived for very short periods after they retired.
This was due to a lack of health and safety, poor breathing apparatus (or none),
due to the longer working week of 56 hours, and the sheer amount of fires attended.
It was also due to a macho attitude towards breathing apparatus by some, at that time.

Yes things have improved, I myself am testament to this (touching wood).
But this survey has highlighted that ffs are 1.6 times more likely to die from cancer than the general public.

To those serving now, please, please, wear BA wherever there is smoke, or contaminants.
Even for incidents were you reckon that is not necessary.
Because to many ffs have perished through Lung and oesophageal cancer.
I know of some myself.
I know having to constantly service sets is a pain, but it may help you live longer.
This 1.6 figure is based on all types of cancer.
But we are nearly four times more likely to die from oesophageal and lung cancers.

[Nightstaffer]

At least 6 Firefighters who attended Grenfell have been diagnosed with cancer .
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-wo...l-28940576

[Stressed]

I have asked the FBU what are they doing with regards health concerns for retired members.

Completely ignored my email:mad:

[brumble49]

Up to a dozen Grenfell firefighters ‘diagnosed with rare cancers’

https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/13/grenfell-...-18093328/

[ABee]

This a shameful and lazy piece of journalism by the Mirror and now copied by the Metro

They seem to be linking the recent FBU/Uni Central Lancs report to Grenfell which is unfair to those who attended and their families.

With many hundreds of LFB personnel attending, its no surprise there are a small minority of them that have since been diagnosed with cancer when you consider the high cancer rates in the fire service

I for one need a bit more than a tabloid's dodgy link before I take this seriously

[bill.advanced]

This a shameful and lazy piece of journalism by the Mirror and now copied by the Metro

They seem to be linking the recent FBU/Uni Central Lancs report to Grenfell which is unfair to those who attended and their families.

With many hundreds of LFB personnel attending, its no surprise there are a small minority of them that have since been diagnosed with cancer when you consider the high cancer rates in the fire service

I for one need a bit more than a tabloid's dodgy link before I take this seriously

My first thought was cancers due to contamination take normally decades to show. But if it highlights the high cancer risks fair enough. But I agree it’s inaccurate lazy journalism.

[Nightstaffer]

It’s across many media platforms including the Irish press .
Somebody briefed the press.
Who ?

[boredwiththefbu]

Cancer from smoke and fire effluents is a chronic illness so just going to Grendel will not cause the cancer. The issue over grenfel was asbestos and those procedures are already in place. You have to consider that cancer being experienced by members is from procedures 15-20 years ago not the current ways of working. That’s not to say we can’t improve how we do things.

if you look at paper 47 from the IIAC then they have found no direct evidence for an industrial injury, but the thresholds for industrial injuries are normally quite high.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...per-47.pdf

The WHO found that they is a link between firefighting and 2 types of cancer ( mesothelioma and bladder cancer ), the first one is already covered under the scheme and the bladder cancer was found to be only 1.5times more than the general population so the messages are mixed.