Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)
Protecting Firefighter Health
June 15, 2023
Interviewee: Jeff Burgess, M.D.
In this episode, we’ll hear from Jeff Burgess, M.D., who has been a leader in the field of firefighter health and safety research for more than 30 years. Burgess discusses the health risks of firefighting and shares best practices to reduce occupational exposures and improve firefighter health.
Protecting Firefighter Health
Firefighters face many risks on the job, including exposure to chemicals that may harm their health. Contaminants in smoke and firefighting foams, for example, may contribute to the higher rates of cancer observed in firefighters compared to the general U.S. population. A better understanding of the health hazards of firefighting can help inform strategies to reduce harmful exposures and protect workers’ health.
In this episode, we’ll hear from Jeff Burgess, M.D., who has been a leader in the field of firefighter health and safety research for more than 30 years. Burgess discusses the health risks of firefighting and shares best practices to reduce occupational exposures and improve firefighter health.
Interviewee:
Jeff Burgess, M.D., is a professor in the college of public health at the University of Arizona. His research interests include reducing toxic exposures and preventing injuries and illnesses among firefighters, other first responders, and miners. Burgess leads an arm of the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study, a national research effort to integrate firefighter epidemiologic, biomarker, and exposure data to determine how exposures lead to cancer and identify mitigation strategies. Burgess was also one of 25 experts who helped inform the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s 2022 decision to classify occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogen.
Resources:
- Learn more about cancer risk and firefighters from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
- Learn more about the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study, which is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
- Read about Burgess’ firefighter and health research in this 2023 article from the University of Arizona.
References
- Goodrich JM, Jung AM, Furlong MA, Beitel S, Littau S, Gulotta J, Wallentine D, Burgess JL. 2022. Repeat Measures of DNA Methylation in an Inception Cohort of Firefighters. Occup Environ Med. 79(10):656-663. [Abstract Goodrich JM, Jung AM, Furlong MA, Beitel S, Littau S, Gulotta J, Wallentine D, Burgess JL. 2022. Repeat Measures of DNA Methylation in an Inception Cohort of Firefighters. Occup Environ Med. 79(10):656-663.]
- Burgess JL, Hoppe-Jones C, Griffin SC, Zhou JJ, Gulotta JJ, Wallentine DD, Moore PK, Valliere EA, Weller SR, Beitel SC, Flahr LM, Littau SR, Dearmon-Moore D, Zhai J, Jung AM, Garavito F, Snyder SA. 2020. Evaluation of Interventions to Reduce Firefighter Exposures. J Occup Environ Med. 62(4):279-288. [Abstract Burgess JL, Hoppe-Jones C, Griffin SC, Zhou JJ, Gulotta JJ, Wallentine DD, Moore PK, Valliere EA, Weller SR, Beitel SC, Flahr LM, Littau SR, Dearmon-Moore D, Zhai J, Jung AM, Garavito F, Snyder SA. 2020. Evaluation of Interventions to Reduce Firefighter Exposures. J Occup Environ Med. 62(4):279-288.]