Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1992 Sep;49(9):664–670. doi: 10.1136/oem.49.9.664

Mortality among firefighters from three northwestern United States cities.

P A Demers 1, N J Heyer 1, L Rosenstock 1
PMCID: PMC1039313  PMID: 1390274

Abstract

To explore whether exposure among firefighters to fire smoke could lead to an increased risk of cancer, lung disease, and heart disease, the mortality of 4546 firefighters who were employed by the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, WA and Portland, OR for at least one year between 1944 and 1979 were compared with United States national mortalities and with mortality of police officers from the same cities. Between 1945 and 1989, 1169 deaths occurred in the study population and 1162 death certificates (99%) were collected. Mortality due to all causes, ischaemic heart disease, and most other non-malignant diseases was less than expected based upon United States rates for white men. There was no excess risk of overall mortality from cancer but excesses of brain tumours (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) = 2.09, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3-3.2) and lymphatic and haematopoietic cancers (SMR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.9-1.8) were found. Younger firefighters (< 40 years of age) appeared to have an excess risk of cancer (SMR = 1.45, 95% CI 0.8-2.39), primarily due to brain cancer (SMR = 3.75, 95% CI 1.2-8.7). The risk of lymphatic and haematopoietic cancers was greatest for men with at least 30 years of exposed employment (SMR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.1-3.6), especially for leukaemia (SMR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.0-5.4).

Full text

PDF
664

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beaumont J. J., Chu G. S., Jones J. R., Schenker M. B., Singleton J. A., Piantanida L. G., Reiterman M. An epidemiologic study of cancer and other causes of mortality in San Francisco firefighters. Am J Ind Med. 1991;19(3):357–372. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700190309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Birky M. M., Clarke F. B. Inhalation of toxic products from fires. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1981 Dec;57(10):997–1013. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brackbill R., Frazier T., Shilling S. Smoking characteristics of US workers, 1978-1980. Am J Ind Med. 1988;13(1):5–41. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700130103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brandt-Rauf P. W., Fallon L. F., Jr, Tarantini T., Idema C., Andrews L. Health hazards of fire fighters: exposure assessment. Br J Ind Med. 1988 Sep;45(9):606–612. doi: 10.1136/oem.45.9.606. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bumb R. R., Crummett W. B., Cutie S. S., Gledhill J. R., Hummel R. H., Kagel R. O., Lamparski L. L., Luoma E. V., Miller D. L., Nestrick T. J. Trace chemistries of fire: a source of chlorinated dioxins. Science. 1980 Oct;210(4468):385–390. doi: 10.1126/science.6159682. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Checkoway H., Pearce N., Hickey J. L., Dement J. M. Latency analysis in occupational epidemiology. Arch Environ Health. 1990 Mar-Apr;45(2):95–100. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1990.9935932. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Eliopulos E., Armstrong B. K., Spickett J. T., Heyworth F. Mortality of fire fighters in Western Australia. Br J Ind Med. 1984 May;41(2):183–187. doi: 10.1136/oem.41.2.183. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Feuer E., Rosenman K. Mortality in police and firefighters in New Jersey. Am J Ind Med. 1986;9(6):517–527. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700090603. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fox A. J., Collier P. F. Low mortality rates in industrial cohort studies due to selection for work and survival in the industry. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1976 Dec;30(4):225–230. doi: 10.1136/jech.30.4.225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gilbert E. S. Some confounding factors in the study of mortality and occupational exposures. Am J Epidemiol. 1982 Jul;116(1):177–188. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113392. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gold A., Burgess W. A., Clougherty E. V. Exposure of firefighters to toxic air contaminants. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1978 Jul;39(7):534–539. doi: 10.1080/0002889778507805. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Goldsmith J. R., Aronow W. S. Carbon monoxide and coronary heart disease: A review. Environ Res. 1975 Oct;10(2):236–248. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(75)90087-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hansen E. S. A cohort study on the mortality of firefighters. Br J Ind Med. 1990 Dec;47(12):805–809. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.12.805. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hartzell G. E., Packham S. C., Switzer W. G. Toxic products from fires. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1983 Apr;44(4):248–255. doi: 10.1080/15298668391404743. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Heyer N., Weiss N. S., Demers P., Rosenstock L. Cohort mortality study of Seattle fire fighters: 1945-1983. Am J Ind Med. 1990;17(4):493–504. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700170407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Howe G. R., Burch J. D. Fire fighters and risk of cancer: an assessment and overview of the epidemiologic evidence. Am J Epidemiol. 1990 Dec;132(6):1039–1050. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115745. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kirkpatrick M. B., Bass J. B. Severe obstructive lung disease after smoke inhalation. Chest. 1979 Jul;76(1):108–110. doi: 10.1378/chest.76.1.108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Loke J., Farmer W., Matthay R. A., Putman C. E., Smith G. J. Acute and chronic effects of fire fighting on pulmonary function. Chest. 1980 Mar;77(3):369–373. doi: 10.1378/chest.77.3.369. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lowry W. T., Juarez L., Petty C. S., Roberts B. Studies of toxic gas production during actual structural fires in the Dallas area. J Forensic Sci. 1985 Jan;30(1):59–72. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Monson R. R. Observations on the healthy worker effect. J Occup Med. 1986 Jun;28(6):425–433. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198606000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Peters J. M., Theriault G. P., Fine L. J., Wegman D. H. Chronic effect of fire fighting on pulmonary function. N Engl J Med. 1974 Dec 19;291(25):1320–1322. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197412192912502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Radford E. P., Levine M. S. Occupational exposures to carbon monoxide in Baltimore firefighters. J Occup Med. 1976 Sep;18(9):628–632. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rosénstock L., Demers P., Heyer N. J., Barnhart S. Respiratory mortality among firefighters. Br J Ind Med. 1990 Jul;47(7):462–465. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.7.462. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sama S. R., Martin T. R., Davis L. K., Kriebel D. Cancer incidence among Massachusetts firefighters, 1982-1986. Am J Ind Med. 1990;18(1):47–54. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700180106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sparrow D., Bossé R., Rosner B., Weiss S. T. The effect of occupational exposure on pulmonary function: a longitudinal evaluation of fire fighters and nonfire fighters. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 Mar;125(3):319–322. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.125.3.319. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Stellman S. D., Boffetta P., Garfinkel L. Smoking habits of 800,000 American men and women in relation to their occupations. Am J Ind Med. 1988;13(1):43–58. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700130104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Treitman R. D., Burgess W. A., Gold A. Air contaminants encountered by firefighters. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1980 Nov;41(11):796–802. doi: 10.1080/15298668091425662. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Unger K. M., Snow R. M., Mestas J. M., Miller W. C. Smoke inhalation in firemen. Thorax. 1980 Nov;35(11):838–842. doi: 10.1136/thx.35.11.838. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Vena J. E., Fiedler R. C. Mortality of a municipal-worker cohort: IV. Fire fighters. Am J Ind Med. 1987;11(6):671–684. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700110608. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Whitener D. R., Whitener L. M., Robertson K. J., Baxter C. R., Pierce A. K. Pulmonary function measurements in patients with thermal injury and smoke inhalation. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1980 Nov;122(5):731–739. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1980.122.5.731. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Industrial Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES