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Firefighters and the Risk of Mesothelioma

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COMPANY NAME

Exposure by:

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Company Name Company Type Occupation State

Firefighters face many dangers on the job every day, including smoke, flames, explosions and falling objects. One of the occupational hazards often overlooked is asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral fiber commonly used as a construction material in older houses and buildings. Asbestos was also used around boilers. If inhaled, microscopic asbestos fibers can lodge deep in the lungs, eventually leading to mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs.

Many risks that firefighters face are unavoidable. But no firefighter should have their lungs scarred or health threatened by asbestos and by the negligence of manufacturers who sold cancer-causing products. If you are a firefighter and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, your first priority should be your health. It’s also important to understand your legal rights to seek compensation.

Assistance Firefighters Exposed to Asbestos 

Firefighters are at risk of exposure to asbestos from a variety of sources. A firefighter may use a pike pole to pull down a ceiling or fire axe to cut through a wall in search of remaining hot spots and release asbestos dust. Asbestos is durable and heat-resistant. It was used in many building products through the 1970s such as floor coverings, tiles, plaster coatings, pipe wrapping, electrical insulation, boilers and other applications. Many walls and ceilings contain asbestos materials. A firefighter putting out a fire in an older structure built before 1980 may encounter asbestos building materials everywhere they turn.

When fighting a blaze, firefighters wear eye protection and self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) to protect them from smoke inhalation and toxic fumes. But when the fire is out, they remove the respirator. They may inhale asbestos dust from their hair, clothing, boots or tools, or asbestos fibers still floating in the air. Arson investigators may breathe asbestos while gathering evidence at the scene of a suspicious fire at an older structure.

Asbestos fibers can remain suspended in the air for many hours. A study of  New York City firefighters found a surprising rate of scarring in the chest X rays of 226 veterans of the FDNY consistent with asbestos exposure, according to the New York University Medical Center Family Guide. The abnormal scarring occurred in 14 percent of the firefighters with no known exposure to asbestos.

The FDNY firefighters and EMS workers who responded after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and worked at Ground Zero were exposed to dozens of carcinogens such as asbestos and potential carcinogens in the dust cloud raised by the collapse of the World Trade Center. Many workers did not have breathing protection. A medical advisory panel recommended in 2012 adding mesothelioma to the list of cancers and diseases for which firefighters and first responders would be eligible under federal law to receive compensation for treatment.

Some older firefighting gear, including gloves, helmets and pumps, had asbestos fibers woven into it to increase heat resistance and durability. This gear may release asbestos fibers as it wears out.

If asbestos removal is not done correctly, firefighters may be exposed to asbestos dust during the renovation of older fire stations where they work, eat and sleep while on duty. Some fire departments use older buildings slated for demolition to practice putting out fires. These structures may contain asbestos if it has not been properly removed.

The harm caused by inhaling asbestos is not immediately obvious. In fact, symptoms of mesothelioma and asbestos disease take decades to appear, making the disease more difficult to diagnose. A firefighter who was exposed to asbestos in the 1970s may only recently have started noticing symptoms of asbestos disease or just received a diagnosis of mesothelioma. The disease often goes undetected until it is advanced.