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12 September 2025
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Cancer awareness for first responders a legacy of 9/11
Awareness of the cancer risks associated with firefighting is one of the enduring legacies of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York City, according to those who work with first responders. In addition to a heightened awareness of the potential for fire scenes to include a criminal element, Chris McClune, EMS chief for the South Lockport Fire Company, said, “9/11 ended up being a huge event for cancer in the fire service. Firefighters are still dying from exposure to Ground Zero. All of our firefighters are covered for cancer. And that’s not necessarily for the day of the event. This will affect people for decades to come. It was just a very unfortunate situation that opened our eyes to the long-term effects.”
According to Ashley Snowden, executive director of physician and external partner engagement at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre, James Zadroga, a New York Police Department officer, was the first among responders whose death has been linked to exposures from the World Trade Centre disaster. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 funded a medical treatment program for responders and survivors who experience health complications related to the terrorist attacks. “A lot of firefighters who responded to 9/11 were identified with a lot of cancers,” Snowden said. Eventually 70 types of cancer were linked to that response, she said.
“Other fire departments were paying attention and noticing that their members were getting cancer,” she said. Before that, Snowden said, cardiac disease was considered the biggest health threat to the fire service. She said the University of Miami began looking at exposures and cancer rates in the fire service.
Roswell has its own study, Snowden said. The 2008 pool supply warehouse fire that happened on Niagara Street in Buffalo involved nearly 200 firefighters and exposed them to chlorine and other chemicals. “We’ve found at least three glioblastomas,” she said, referring to highly aggressive and malignant brain tumours. “There are better odds of winning the Powerball than that.”
The cancer-causing chemicals that firefighters face, Snowden said, include PFAS, man-made chemicals found in stain-resistant carpets and other building materials. The list goes on to include benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and arsenic.
“Fires that happen in modern homes contain a lot of synthetic materials,” she said. “But the old houses contain a lot of lead and asbestos.”
The flame retardant on firefighters’ protective turnout gear also contains PFAS, she said. “A little bit of it is unavoidable for them.”
In addition to glioblastomas, Snowden said firefighters experience high rates of lung cancer and skin cancer from their jobs. “All those carcinogens in the smoke and the exhaust are absorbed through their skin at a higher rate because of their body temperature (at a fire),” Snowden said. “I think that in addition to cancer screening, it’s really important that fire companies look at preventive decontamination practices.”
City of Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said his department has better decontamination in place than years ago, but more could be done. “Now with the clean diesel engines and the particulate systems, it’s leaps and bounds better. We never used to have two sets of turnout gear,” he said. “If you went to two fires in the same night, you had to wear the same contaminated gear.”
Chief Quagliano said the department got a second set of turnout gear around 2014, costing nearly $5,500 to cover head to toe, including a protective hood and mask. “It’s not a cheap endeavour, by any means,” he said. “But the counter is, if you can prevent even one cancer case . . . the savings in the city’s health care is the trade off.” Gear is reissued when in good condition, he said.
The department has been considering a remodel or relocation, Chief Quagliano said, so that the company can better manage decontamination. “Now everything is just all in one big area, so the cross-contamination is hard to combat,” Chief Quagliano said.
“The clean garments are immediately exposed to diesel particulate. Bringing to light the cancer precautions is a huge, 180-degree change to the way it was ever done in the past,” he said. “I was at the academy when 9/11 happened. They shut our class down for a few weeks. We really weren’t working actively with the cleaning and decon and gear washing. It was talked about, but nothing was moving. The awareness from 9/11 responders probably really kicked it in gear.”
According to Ashley Snowden, executive director of physician and external partner engagement at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre, James Zadroga, a New York Police Department officer, was the first among responders whose death has been linked to exposures from the World Trade Centre disaster. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 funded a medical treatment program for responders and survivors who experience health complications related to the terrorist attacks. “A lot of firefighters who responded to 9/11 were identified with a lot of cancers,” Snowden said. Eventually 70 types of cancer were linked to that response, she said.
“Other fire departments were paying attention and noticing that their members were getting cancer,” she said. Before that, Snowden said, cardiac disease was considered the biggest health threat to the fire service. She said the University of Miami began looking at exposures and cancer rates in the fire service.
Roswell has its own study, Snowden said. The 2008 pool supply warehouse fire that happened on Niagara Street in Buffalo involved nearly 200 firefighters and exposed them to chlorine and other chemicals. “We’ve found at least three glioblastomas,” she said, referring to highly aggressive and malignant brain tumours. “There are better odds of winning the Powerball than that.”
The cancer-causing chemicals that firefighters face, Snowden said, include PFAS, man-made chemicals found in stain-resistant carpets and other building materials. The list goes on to include benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and arsenic.
“Fires that happen in modern homes contain a lot of synthetic materials,” she said. “But the old houses contain a lot of lead and asbestos.”
The flame retardant on firefighters’ protective turnout gear also contains PFAS, she said. “A little bit of it is unavoidable for them.”
In addition to glioblastomas, Snowden said firefighters experience high rates of lung cancer and skin cancer from their jobs. “All those carcinogens in the smoke and the exhaust are absorbed through their skin at a higher rate because of their body temperature (at a fire),” Snowden said. “I think that in addition to cancer screening, it’s really important that fire companies look at preventive decontamination practices.”
City of Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said his department has better decontamination in place than years ago, but more could be done. “Now with the clean diesel engines and the particulate systems, it’s leaps and bounds better. We never used to have two sets of turnout gear,” he said. “If you went to two fires in the same night, you had to wear the same contaminated gear.”
Chief Quagliano said the department got a second set of turnout gear around 2014, costing nearly $5,500 to cover head to toe, including a protective hood and mask. “It’s not a cheap endeavour, by any means,” he said. “But the counter is, if you can prevent even one cancer case . . . the savings in the city’s health care is the trade off.” Gear is reissued when in good condition, he said.
The department has been considering a remodel or relocation, Chief Quagliano said, so that the company can better manage decontamination. “Now everything is just all in one big area, so the cross-contamination is hard to combat,” Chief Quagliano said.
“The clean garments are immediately exposed to diesel particulate. Bringing to light the cancer precautions is a huge, 180-degree change to the way it was ever done in the past,” he said. “I was at the academy when 9/11 happened. They shut our class down for a few weeks. We really weren’t working actively with the cleaning and decon and gear washing. It was talked about, but nothing was moving. The awareness from 9/11 responders probably really kicked it in gear.”