The tragic Los Angeles fires were a historically destructive disaster, but they also presented a unique opportunity to study the toxic exposures faced by firefighters. New findings point to a heightened risk for serious diseases like lupus.
The Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS) is a massive, ongoing effort to understand such risks. Dozens of its enrollees responded to the L.A. blazes, giving researchers a chance to measure certain proteins found in the blood before and after. The authors say it’s likely the first study to collect such data on urban conflagrations.
“We saw changes in proteins in the firefighters after responding to the L.A. conflagrations that suggested alterations in immune functioning, in cancer, cancer risk, and in DNA repair and DNA function,” said lead author Melissa Furlong, an environmental health sciences assistant professor at the University of Arizona and co-lead on the cohort study.
“Of the 60 serum proteins that significantly changed, many were associated with detoxification, inflammation, and oxidative stress,” the paper’s discussion reads.
Those changes are “likely due in large part to the exposure to complex mixtures while [wildland-urban-interface] firefighting and urban-conflagration firefighting,” it continued. “These exposures include, but are not limited to, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzenes, fine and coarse particulate matter, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds, which have been linked to adverse cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological effects, and some cancers.”
In wildland fires, burning vegetation is “the primary exposure of concern,” but when buildings are involved, “the smoke may contain compounds that are more similar to what structural firefighters encounter,” according to the CDC.
Furlong called the new findings “upsetting,” but says characterizing the risks is just an important first step.
“Step two is figuring out how can firefighters protect themselves,” she said. “And then step three is ‘what are the interventions available to firefighters to help them improve their health?’”
Even though the exposures are likely less intense, she said the findings are also relevant to anyone who lives near fires burning through structures. It’s also likely relevant to many wildland firefighters, according to FFCCS Director Dr. Jeff Burgess.
While noting the unique circumstances of the L.A. fires and study participants, he said that “wildland firefighters protecting structures would be exposed to many of the same chemicals that the firefighters in our study were exposed to.”
More research would be needed to prove it, but he added that “the protein changes measured in our study may also be changing in wildland firefighters.” Unlike many structure firefighters, wildland firefighters typically do not have any respiratory protection.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
