New study on firefighter cancer and brain tumors
Researchers at the University of California found molecular traces of toxic exposure in gliomas from firefighters.
Through our professional exchange with AUVA, we were recently provided with a study that is highly relevant for fire brigades. Such input from prevention practice is particularly valuable because it connects scientific findings directly with real-world occupational safety questions.
The study addresses a topic that is becoming increasingly important in the fire service: possible links between occupational exposure to hazardous substances during operations and certain types of cancer. Specifically, it focuses on gliomas - tumors of the brain or spinal cord - and molecular traces that indicate chemical exposure.
Analysis of mutational signatures
The study “Glioma mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure are enriched in firefighters” was published in the journal Cancer in 2025. Researchers at the University of California analyzed tumor and blood samples from 35 individuals as part of the San Francisco Adult Glioma Study. Among them were 17 individuals with a documented occupational history of firefighting and 18 individuals without a firefighting background.
Through our professional exchange with AUVA, we were recently provided with a study that is highly relevant for fire brigades. Such input from prevention practice is particularly valuable because it connects scientific findings directly with real-world occupational safety questions.
The focus was on the SBS42 mutational signature. This signature is associated with haloalkane exposure. Haloalkanes are chemical compounds found, among other things, in industrial applications as well as in flame retardants and fire extinguishing agents - making them particularly relevant for fire brigades.
Firefighter cancer: Key findings
The study found mutations in 13 of the 35 tumor samples examined that could be at least partially attributed to the SBS42 signature.
Among the firefighters, there was a positive association between the number of years in firefighting service and the number of mutations attributed to the SBS42 signature. After excluding two individuals with additional possible haloalkane exposures, this association was statistically significant: p = 0.04, R² = 0.29.
Elevated SBS42 values were also found in individuals without a firefighting background. However, these individuals also had occupations in which possible haloalkane exposure is plausible - such as painting or mechanical work.
This is scientifically interesting because the findings go beyond epidemiological observations and make the risks more concrete. The study does not only examine whether certain diseases occur more frequently among firefighters, but investigates molecular mutational patterns directly in tumor tissue. This creates an additional level of assessment: indications of possible chemical exposures can be classified not only statistically, but also biologically in the tissue examined.
Classification for the fire service
The starting point is already clear: The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified occupational exposure in firefighting as carcinogenic. The association has so far been particularly well established for mesothelioma and bladder cancer; limited evidence exists, among others, for colon, prostate and testicular cancer, skin melanoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The new glioma study expands this picture. It provides evidence of an association with another type of cancer and at the same time shows a molecular biological trace in the tumor tissue itself. This means the investigation goes beyond comparisons of disease frequency: it shows how hazardous substance exposures in firefighting can leave biological traces that can be directly traced.
For decision-makers in the fire service, this further increases the pressure to act. Anyone who continues to ignore these findings exposes themselves to the legal and ethical accusation of failing to take known risks to their own emergency personnel seriously enough.
Decontamination as part of modern post-incident care
In practice, this means that fire service hygiene must not stop at visible contamination. Soot on a jacket, smoke odor in a vehicle, or residues on equipment are not merely unpleasant - they may indicate an exposure chain that must be consistently interrupted. Modern fire service hygiene means deliberately treating contaminated areas, equipment, and PPE, avoiding cross-contamination, and reducing the burden on emergency personnel as far as possible. This is already taken for granted, for example, in occupational groups exposed to radiation.
This is where professional decontamination with Oxy3 comes in. Personal protective equipment, operational materials, and vehicle interiors must be treated in a way that reduces the spread of hazardous substances and minimizes the health burden on emergency personnel.
Oxy3 was developed specifically for the fire service: for the treatment and decontamination of personal protective equipment, equipment items, operational materials, and the interiors of emergency vehicles. The focus is on the degradation of hazardous substances, particularly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, as well as the elimination of unpleasant odors.
Rethinking fire service hygiene
The more science reveals about cancer risks in the fire service, the clearer the link between operational exposure and health hazards becomes. The danger lies in the fact that, unlike many immediate risks of firefighting, this burden is not visible. Heat, smoke, collapse risks, or shortness of breath are directly perceptible - contaminated PPE, polluted equipment, and the spread of hazardous substances often only take effect over years.
Decontamination therefore requires a new, preventive mindset. Those who only react once health effects become visible are reacting too late. Modern fire service hygiene means consistently reducing exposures before they become a problem - anything else will cost lives in the medium term.
Source:
Cannataro VL et al. „Glioma mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure are enriched in firefighters“, Cancer, 2025. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35732.
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