New bill would track cancer in firefighters

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U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced new legislation on Aug. 10 aimed at helping firefighters across New York state combat cancer, which frequently affects those in the emergency services sector.

The bill would establish a specialized, voluntary national cancer registry, to be managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Mike Capoziello, a former chief and the current public information officer for the Elmont Fire Department. “It gives me peace of mind for myself and my family that if something does happen to me, maybe the registry will lead to some sort of ability to see some specialized doctors that our health plan doesn’t currently allow for.”

Schumer explained that firefighters are exposed to a range of harmful toxins when they respond to emergencies, often as a result of flame-retardants and other chemicals that are used in the manufacture of everything from furniture to clothing to children’s toys. Experts have repeatedly pointed out the dangers of these chemicals, which have been found to cause developmental delays in children with long-term exposure in addition to rare cancers in firefighters when these products burn and the toxins become airborne.

“Our brave firefighters on Long Island and across New York state are on the front lines, risking their lives to protect our communities,” Schumer said. “And now, with the ubiquitous presence of complex chemicals in our furniture, clothes and goods, they are too often exposed to a caustic brew of toxins when fighting fires. That is why it so important for Congress to pass this critical legislation to establish a national voluntary firefighter cancer registry, so researchers can better track, treat, and one day prevent the potential connections between firefighting and cancer.”

According to a five-year study conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters in the U.S. develop malignant mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, at twice the rate of the general population. The study also found that firefighters have an increased risk of death from lung cancer and leukemia.

“It [would provide] early detection to somebody that could save their life,” Carl Gerrato, a former member of the Franklin Square/Munson Fire Department, said of the legislation.

Beginning in the 1980s, firefighters began wearing self-contained breathing apparatuses, oxygen tanks with masks, that are a common sight today. Breathing in smoke and other harmful chemicals while fighting fires was an increasing source of concern. This transition, however, was met with resistance from older members of the department, who were veterans when Gerrato and Capoziello started.

“A lot of the guys that got in in the ’50s didn’t want to wear these things,” Capoziello said. “It was kind of like, ‘You don’t need that, Kid.’ It was that type of attitude, so those of us that [joined] in the ’80s, who knows what we could have breathed in?”

The Senate reconvenes after its summer break on Sept. 6. The bill must first pass the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. According to Schumer, if Congress approves the bill this session, the registry could be operating by next January.

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