Firefighters working at the World Trade Center during 9/11 are 13% more likely to develop cancer

Firefighters working at the World Trade Center (WTC) are more likely to develop cancer than those who do not work at Ground Zero.

Researchers found that New York City firefighters who were at the site during and after the 9/11 attacks were 13% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, especially prostate and prostate cancer. thyroid.

Additionally, the men were about four years younger when the disease was detected compared to their colleagues who also had cancer.

The team, led by the New York City Fire Department, said that while the study could not establish the cause, it shows the immense risk to first responders as they battled the blazes and smoke from the deadliest attack on American soil.

The researchers compared 10,786 firefighters who worked at the WTC site to 8,813 firefighters who did not work at the site and found that WTC firefighters were 13% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than their colleagues. Pictured: Firefighters march towards one of the World Trade Center towers before it collapsed on September 11

Researchers say firefighters are often exposed to toxins and carcinogens – substances capable of causing cancer – while on the job.

However, Ground Zero in the aftermath of the attacks was a particularly toxic environment.

The men were exposed to asbestos, arsenic, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of sulfuric acid – a class of chemicals found naturally in coal, crude oil and gasoline – and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are man-made chemicals.

All of these minerals and chemicals are well known to increase the risk of cancer.

For the study, published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, the team looked at 10,786 firefighters who worked at the WTC site during and after the 9/11 attacks.

They were compared to 8,813 firefighters who were not working at the site and who were participating in the Career Firefighter Health Study.

The firefighters were followed either until their death or in December 2016.

Researchers found 915 cancer cases in 841 WTC firefighters and 1,002 cases in 909 CFHS firefighters.

They determined that firefighters working on September 11 were 13% more likely to develop cancer than firefighters who were not members of the WTC.

WTC firefighters had higher rates for all cancers, including kidney cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, prostate cancer and thyroid cancer.

The rates for all cancer types were, but FDNY firefighters had a higher likelihood, especially of developing prostate cancer (top left and thyroid cancer at a younger age

Prostate cancer and thyroid cancer had particularly high rates with 1.39 times more and 2.53 times more.

“Part of the excessive risk of prostate cancer may be due to [World Trade Center] exposure in addition to the usual firefighting hazards, as some chemicals, such as PCBs, commonly found on construction sites, including [World Trade Center], are known endocrine disruptors interfering with androgen metabolism, ”the authors wrote.

“Alternatively, the high rates of certain cancers, including thyroid and prostate cancers, could be due to non-biological factors such as enrollment in screening programs, in particular [World Trade Center]-related health programs. ‘

Additionally, WTC firefighters were diagnosed at the median age of 55.6 compared to non-WTC firefighters who were diagnosed around the age of 59.4.

The authors note that the study is observational and that they cannot say for sure that working at Ground Zero caused firefighters’ cancers.

However, “two decades after September 11, a better understanding of [World Trade Center]“Risk-related risks require extensive monitoring and modeling studies (in the laboratory or on animals) to identify workplace exposures among all firefighters,” they write.