WHO Officially Declares Firefighting a Cancer-Causing Profession

After more than a decade of research and efforts by so many, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has moved the profession of firefighting from "Group 2B - Possibly carcinogenic to humans" to a "Group 1 - Carcinogenic to Humans" (entirely skipping 2A - 'probably carcinogenic').

25 scientists from 8 countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer last month in Lyon, France, to finalize their evaluation.

Thank you to all of the individuals who work so hard to continue to raise awareness of the statistics of firefighter exposure here in Canada and globally. Perhaps soon the standards will catch up to the risk.

IARC release on Monograph 132 evaluating the carcinogenicity of occupational exposure as a firefighter
British Columbia Professional Firefighters Association (BCPFFA) summary
CTV News Winnipeg news article
(photo source - An undated file image of a Winnipeg firefighter battling a blaze in 2015: CTV News Winnipeg)

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