The scenes of destruction from the Los Angeles County fires gripped the nation. Now, some researchers are working to better understand the toxic exposures faced by the firefighters who responded.
In recent years, studies have shown wildland firefighters are exposed to dangerous toxins – with one late 2024 paper identifying 31 known carcinogens on the fireline. Researchers have already established connections between the work and increased risks of lung cancer and other serious diseases.
But less is known about acute exposures to incidents like the LA fires, where entire neighborhoods and all the toxic contents of homes and cars were sent billowing into the sky or left in the ash.
“We really owe it to the firefighters to be able to tell them what they've been exposed to and what the effects of those exposures might be,” said Dr. Jeff Burgess, a public health professor at the University of Arizona who’s been working with firefighters for years.
He’s part of a research team studying LA fire responders, which already has a couple hundred participants enrolled. They’re hoping for as many as 1,000, Burgess said.
“We are worried that these exposures will lead to increased disease risk, including cancer, in the firefighters that responded to these fires,” Burgess said.
But he also said firefighters can do things to reduce risks while responding to incidents, and after exposures have occurred. Results will be shared quickly with participants to help them take actions to protect themselves.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
