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.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fighting for each other: How TFD and UArizona are helping firefighters nationwide fight cancer
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.
“We know that these chemicals can have a whole range of adverse health effects, including but not limited to cancer,” said Burgess, who is the principal investigator for the UA’s research on firefighter health .
Along with firefighter surveys asking about family history and health habits, Burgess’s team has been taking in firefighter blood and urine samples for more than a year.
“We’ll measure their PFAS levels and report it back to them,” he explained. “As of a few years ago, we can actually tell them: If you have this level, this is what you should do… Additional screening for cancers, for example. They can look at additional tests that they might want to get.”
The study started in Arizona and now more than 1,500 firefighters have enrolled nationwide, from departments in states like Massachusetts, Idaho and California.
The goal is to complete enrollment by the end of this year with about 2,000 firefighters.
TFD Safety and Wellness Captain John Gulotta, who spearheaded the critical research in 2014, travelled to California this month. He enrolled dozens of L.A. City firefighters in the study this week.
“They didn’t really understand what PFAS was,” said Gulotta, who is now also a research liaison with UA.
He says educating firefighters on the chemicals and getting their personal data back to them is crucial.
“It makes them feel a little bit better that they have the ability to participate in their own health and wellness,” he said.
Firefighters like TFD’s Stuart Sherman can enter a second part of the study, tracking how blood or plasma donations can potentially take PFAS out of the body.
Burgess says about a fifth of firefighters have levels high enough to be asked to participate in the PFAS-reducing study.
“Mine [PFAS levels] were on the higher end of what they’ve found so far in a human being,” Sherman said, cracking a smile.
“They just concluded the one year of the blood donation study this month,” he added. “And they found that it has a reduction of about 30 percent each time.”
Researchers are also tracking if intermittent fasting or “Zone 2” workouts—long workouts with comfortable effort—can reduce PFAS levels.
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