Wildland firefighter smoke exposure and risk of lung and cardiovascular disease
Holding line during firing operations on the 2019 Cow Fire, Malheur National Forest, Oregon. Photo: Kathleen Navarro.
Kathleen M. Navarro, U.S. Forest Service (currently with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Wildland firefighters are exposed to health hazards including inhaling hazardous pollutants from the combustion of live and dead vegetation (smoke), and breathing in ash and soil dust, while working long shifts with no respiratory protection. This research brief summarizes a study estimating long-term health impacts of smoke exposure for wildland firefighters (Navarro et al. 2019). The study estimated relative risk of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality from existing particulate matter (PM) exposure-response relationships using a measured PM concentration from smoke and breathing rates from previous wildland firefighter studies across different exposure scenarios. Key Findings:
Firefighters who worked both short and long seasons (49 days and 98 days per year, respective- ly) were exposed to increased lifetime doses of PM4 across all career durations (5-25 years).
Wildland firefighters were estimated to be at increased risk of lung cancer (8 to 43 percent) and cardiovascular disease (16 to 30 percent) mortality across all season lengths and career durations.
These findings suggest that wildland firefighters should reduce exposure to smoke in any way possible.