Firefighters and Asbestos Exposure
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Firefighters can face uniquely extreme asbestos exposure risks, and as a result, they suffer an elevated rate of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma. Many organizations support firefighters with occupational cancer and work to prevent toxic exposure in the future.
When people imagine the dangers of firefighting, they often don’t realize cancer is now the No. 1 occupational cause of death for career firefighters. While a soot-covered set of overalls serves as a sign of a proud and brave firefighter, rescue workers should see that visible grit for what it really represents — potentially deadly asbestos contamination.
When asbestos is disturbed, it releases dust fibers more than 100 times thinner than a human hair.
These microscopic mineral fibers cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Because they do not chemically react with anything in the body, they cause no immediate symptoms when someone inhales or swallows them.
However, because asbestos fibers never dissolve inside the body, they can become permanently lodged in organs and tissues, causing benign and malignant illnesses to develop many years later.
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Firefighter Quick Facts
- Face extreme risks of asbestos exposure during rescue operations
- 2.29 times more likely to develop mesothelioma due to exposure
- 70% of line-of-duty deaths are caused by cancer in general
- Proper training and procedures can prevent occupational cancer
What to do about the problem?
Firefighters can learn how to prevent occupational cancer from trade organizations that provide training and informative resources.
Other organizations specialize in supporting firefighters stricken with cancer.
Firefighters who have suffered toxic exposure because of others’ negligence have legal options for seeking compensation.
How Firefighters Are Exposed to Asbestos
During America’s 20th-century building boom, asbestos-containing materials were widely used in public buildings and residential structures — from basements to attics. Most manufacturers phased out the use of the toxic mineral when its link to terrible illnesses, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, was publicly revealed, but asbestos remains in millions of old buildings across the nation.
Old asbestos-containing materials can release intense concentrations of toxic mineral fibers into the air when buildings burn. Firefighter safety equipment should be issued by fire stations and worn properly during firefighting, then decontaminated after to prevent asbestos exposure. If firefighters are not provided the proper safety equipment, they and their families could be exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances found in ashes and debris.
From the 1930s to the 1970s, manufacturers using asbestos in products mixed asbestos into a range of building materials as a cheap way to make almost anything more durable and fireproof.
Common asbestos-containing building materials:
- Cement floors, sheets and siding
- Roof shingles and sealant
- Vinyl tiles, flooring and wallpaper
- Pipe, duct and attic insulation
- Spray-on coating and fireproofing
- Plastic and millboard for electrical panels
- Insulation for homes, boilers, furnaces and appliances
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Flooring adhesives, wall panels and ceiling tiles
The list of asbestos products goes on. In most circumstances, these materials fall into two categories: Friable materials (such as old pipe insulation) that can release asbestos fibers easily, and non friable materials (such as vinyl tiles) that keep asbestos fibers fixed in place.
Note Re: the word "friable" used in the text: Something that crumbles quickly into a powder is called "friable". Materials containing asbestos are deemed friable if they easily crumble into dust and release asbestos fibers into the atmosphere.
In a disaster situation, however, all materials are effectively friable.
This is what sets firefighters apart from other tradesmen at risk of asbestos exposure. Most occupational asbestos exposure happens little by little on a regular basis. But for firefighters, exposure may come in the form of a single encounter with asbestos-contaminated smoke or debris.
Some firefighters have also been exposed to asbestos in safety gear. Asbestos was woven into textiles to create fireproof clothing and protective gear for firefighters.
Read More and Download the full guide as a PDF
Read More about Asbestos related Epithelioid Mesothelioma