Read the full article by Amelia Ferrell Knisely (West Virginia Watch)
“Cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death among firefighters.
West Virginia firefighters are aware of the risk, but tight budgets — particularly for the hundreds of volunteer fire departments — make it difficult or impossible to make changes that could help save lives.
Firefighters are exposed to carcinogens coming from fires due to increased petroleum products in homes. There’s also studies linking their flame-repellent gear to cancer risk. The protective gear’s fabric contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals or PFAs, known as the ‘forever chemical.’ PFAs have been linked to an increased risk of cancer and other health problems.
Lt. Jason Fleak with the Parkersburg Fire Department can detail the changes he has made at the station to hopefully minimize cancer risk. They’ve added cancer hoods to their gear; a local womens’ group provided them since they were about $100 a piece.”…