Providence
Fire Chief George S. Farrell suspects that years of running into
burning buildings led him to where he is today — living with cancer.

Farrell,
52, was diagnosed in August last year with chronic myelogenous
leukemia, a type of cancer that results in an abnormally high
production of white blood cells in the bone marrow.

While there
is no way to determine what caused the disease, Farrell is certain that
on-the-job exposure to high doses of radiation and benzene, a byproduct
of combustion, played a big role.

A 27-year veteran of the fire
service, Farrell says his situation is an example of the type of health
risks that firefighters face and are often unaware of. “We know this
job is inherently dangerous. But how many guys know they will develop
cancer from this job?” he said.

In his department alone, Farrell
said, “seven to eight people” have been diagnosed with cancer. And many
more, he said, are diagnosed after they retire from the service.

The
scope of the problem statewide is unknown because there are no formal
studies, but a bill making its way through the General Assembly could
change that.

Last month, the state Senate passed the Firefighter
Cancer Wellness bill (S-2887 Substitute A), which, among other things,
would have the state Department of Health study the incidence of cancer
among firefighters statewide.

Sponsored by Senators Teresa
Paiva Weed, D-Newport; Dominick Ruggerio, D-Providence; Leo Blais,
R-Coventry; and Rhoda Perry, D-Providence, the bill would also
establish an education campaign to inform firefighters of the cancer
risks associated with their profession.

It would allow the state
Department of Health, the state fire marshal and municipal governments
to enter into contracts with health-care and cancer-screening providers
to establish prevention programs for firefighters and those in related
professions.

“All of this is an educational process,” said
Farrell, who has advocated successfully in his department to make
annual health screenings a requirement. “Documenting these instances
and protecting our firefighters is in the public’s interest.”

The
bill still must be approved by the House, where it is before the
Health, Education and Welfare Committee, and signed into law by
Governor Carcieri.

Timothy McLaughlin, president of the Rhode
Island Association of Fire Chiefs and chief of the Pawtucket Fire
Department, called cancer “the critical health issue for Rhode Island
firefighters” and said the state organization is pushing hard for the
bill’s passage.

“Each day, firefighters are put at risk, but one
risk they should not face is an increased risk of cancer, and early
detection is our best hope to beat this epidemic,” he said.

Nationally,
studies indicate that firefighters face higher-than-average risks of
several types of cancer, including those affecting the colon, brain,
testicles, kidneys and bladder.

A study by the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health that was published in the American Journal
of Industrial Medicine found that, compared with men in other
occupations, firefighters had nearly twice the risk of brain cancer and
a 36-percent higher risk of colon cancer.

The study also found
evidence that firefighters had elevated risks of bladder and kidney
cancers and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Between 1986 and 2003, the study
recorded 2,125 diagnoses of cancer among professional male
firefighters.

And a 2006 study by the University of Cincinnati,
published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,
found that firefighters face a 100-percent increased risk of testicular
cancer compared with non-firefighters; a 50-percent increased risk for
multiple myeloma; a 50-percent increased risk for non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma; and a 28-percent increased risk for prostate cancer.

While
the studies do not draw conclusions why there appears to be a
higher-than-normal risk of cancer among firefighters, Farrell and other
firefighters say on-the-job exposure greatly contributes.

During
a blaze, firefighters could potentially be exposed to any number of
carcinogens, including benzene, diesel engine exhaust, chloroform,
soot, styrene and formaldehyde, Farrell said.

The risks of
exposure are especially great in Rhode Island, says McLaughlin, of the
state fire chiefs’ association. “It’s an old state with all these mill
towns from yesteryear that are all oil soaked,” he said.

“In pretty much every fire you’re going to be exposed to something,” Farrell said.

Modern
firefighting equipment is supposed to reduce the risks associated with
exposure, but it’s not always used properly by firefighters, Farrell
said.

Too often, firefighters remove air packs when going into or near fires.

“It’s
supposed to protect them from the smoke and soot, but by the end of a
fire, when it’s winding down, you’ll see the guys start to take the
face masks off and leave the tanks because they get too heavy and hot,”
says Farrell.

The proposed legislation would establish programs
promoting safe work practices for firefighters and work to eliminate
those risky habits, McLaughlin said. It would also encourage
firefighters to go for regular cancer screenings.

“This is good for the fire service in Rhode Island,” he said. “This is good for our men and women, right down the line.”