Occupational exposure as a firefighter / IARC Working Group on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

IARC Working Group on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans, author, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Carcinogens.

Fire extinction.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 PDF file (vi, 729 pages)) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Lyon, France : International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization, 2023.

Summary:

Occupational exposure as a firefighter is complex and includes a variety of hazards resulting from fires and non-fire events. Firefighters can have diverse roles, responsibilities, and employment (e.g. full-time, part-time, volunteer) that vary widely across countries and change over their careers. Firefighters respond to various types of fire (e.g. structure, wildland, and vehicle fires) and other events (e.g. vehicle accidents, medical incidents, hazardous material releases, and building collapses). Wildland fires are increasingly encroaching on urban areas. Changes in types of fire, building materials, and personal protective equipment have resulted in significant changes in firefighter exposures over time. Firefighters may be exposed to combustion products from fires (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particulate matter), building materials (e.g. asbestos), chemicals in firefighting foams (e.g. per- and polyfluorinated substances), flame retardants, diesel exhaust, as well as other hazards (e.g. night shift work and ultraviolet or other radiation). An IARC Monographs Working Group reviewed evidence from cancer studies and mechanistic studies in humans to assess the carcinogenic hazard to humans of occupational exposure as a firefighter and concluded that: • Occupational exposure as a firefighter is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).

Contents:

Note to the Reader

List of Participants

Preamble

General Remarks

1. Exposure Characterization

1.1. Definition of the agent

1.2. Qualitative information about firefighting

1.3. Detection and quantification

1.4. Exposure to fire effluents, according to type of fire and level of exposure

1.5. Exposures other than fire effluents and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

1.6. Factors that modify or mediate effects of exposure

1.7. Regulations and guidelines

1.8. Quality of exposure assessment in key epidemiological studies of cancer and mechanistic studies in humans

References

2. Cancer in Humans

2.1. Cancers of the lung and respiratory system, including mesothelioma

2.2. Cancers of the urogenital system

2.3. Cancers of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissues

2.4. Cancers of the skin, thyroid, and brain

2.5. Cancers of the colon and rectum, oesophagus, stomach, and other sites

2.6. Cancer of all sites combined

2.7. Case reports

2.8. Meta-analyses

2.9. Evidence synthesis for cancer in humans

3. Cancer in Experimental Animals

4. Mechanistic Evidence

Overview of mechanisms for carcinogens to which firefighters are exposed

4.1. Evidence relevant to key characteristics of carcinogens

4.2. Other relevant evidence

5. Summary of Data Reported

5.1. Exposure characterization

5.2. Cancer in humans

5.3. Cancer in experimental animals

5.4. Mechanistic evidence

6. Evaluation and Rationale

6.1. Cancer in humans

6.2. Cancer in experimental animals

6.3. Mechanistic evidence

6.4. Overall evaluation

6.5. Rationale

List of Abbreviations

Annex 1. Supplementary Material for Section 1, Exposure Characterization

Annex 2. Supplementary Material for Section 2, Cancer in Humans

Summary of Final Evaluations.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.