Firefighters have higher risk of cancer diagnosis than the general public
Since January 2024, Canada recognized January as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. This follows the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifying firefighting as a known human carcinogen in June 2022. According to Statistics Canada, firefighters have a 9% increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer, and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public. Our BCN’s Heidi Echavarria has the story for us.