Firefighters could me more susceptible to cancer, a claim that has been prompted by  a cluster of cancers found at the Atherton fire station in Queensland.

Three firefighters who worked at the station were diagnosed with cancer, but a small Australian study found no evidence that the occupation either directly or indirectly caused the fatal disease.

But Mark Walker, the state secretary of the United Firefighters’ Union in Queensland, believes there is an association.

Walker told ABC’s The World Today that overseas data indicated a risk despite the study showing otherwise. “What we do say is it was a relatively small sample size [in the study] of Queensland firefighters over a relatively short period of time. Now the data from overseas shows that firefighters do face a significantly increased risk of various types of cancers. So we treat this finding somewhat with a bit of caution,” he said.

Walker said studies in the United States show firefighters are three times more likely to get cancer than other men. “Just the general risk of firefighting; the daily exposure of firefighters to carcinogens at incidents. They’ve demonstrated a higher risk or a higher level of incidence of cancers overseas. That’s come about because of a large statistical investigation group. There’s 290,000 career firefighters in the United States so it’s actually a valid figure to be able to draw an investigation from, rather than a relatively small sample group in Queensland.”

Walker believes a new national study will show Australian firefighters are more susceptible to cancers.

Source: ABC’s The World Today

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