Firefighters are at increased risk of prostate cancer due to exposure to chemicals, research shows

Firefighters may be at increased risk of prostate cancer due to exposure to chemicals on the job, according to new research from the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the University of Michigan in collaboration with firefighting partners and researchers across the country. world. country through the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study.

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer among American men. Firefighters are diagnosed with prostate cancer 1.21 times more often than the general population, possibly due to exposure to chemicals including smoke and firefighting foam during firefighting.

Some of these chemicals can affect the way genes are expressed through a process called epigenetic modification, and certain epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, contribute to the development of cancer. Researchers found evidence that experienced firefighters had different epigenetic modifications than new firefighters in regions linked to prostate cancer.

With these published findings, we have clear evidence of the health risks firefighters face as a result of cumulative workplace exposure.”

Jeff Burgess, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research and professor at Zuckerman College of Public Health

The paper, “Firefighting, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and DNA methylation of genes associated with prostate cancer risk,” was published in the journal Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis.

Burgess, also a member of the BIO5 Institute, has been researching the health of firefighters for decades. He collaborated with lead author Margaret Quaid, MS, and researcher Jackie Goodrich, PhD, of the University of Michigan, who led the analysis of gene methylation.

They found that experienced firefighters had different epigenetic modifications on chromosome 8q24 – a particular region of the genome where epigenetic modifications have been linked to prostate cancer risk – compared to new firefighters.

One class of chemicals linked to epigenetic modifications are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are used in firefighting foam and in many household items, including nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing. The research team also investigated whether there was a link between PFAS exposure and epigenetic modification.

The results showed that in many fire departments, new and experienced firefighters had similar exposure to PFAS. However, exposure to a specific PFAS chemical – branched perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA – was linked to epigenetic modifications.

“This study demonstrates the power of the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study to combine data from different grants – in this case, awards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2014, 2015 and 2018 – to more powerfully evaluate fire service questions, this time around exposures and increased risk of prostate cancer,” Burgess said.

Other co-authors from the Zuckerman College of Public Health include toxicologist Shawn Beitel, MSc, research program administrator for the Firefighter Health Collaborative Research Program, and Sally Littau, health research coordinator. John Gulotta and Darin Wallentine of the Tucson Fire Department also contributed. The research team included members from the University of Miami, Rutgers University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Fire Protection Research Foundation. .