Research Looks Into Cancer Risks Among 9/11 Firefighters.

reports that “two studies published” in “JAMA Oncology suggest that the firefighters who came to lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center face a heightened risk of cancer – and will continue to do so for years to come.” NBC News (4/26, Fox) reports on its website that “the two studies, which look only at white male firefighters, add another piece to the puzzle of what health risks are raised among 9/11 responders, but they don’t provide a definitive answer to the question.” However, “the researchers said the heavy dust of toxic chemicals that bathed just about everybody at the site, both during and in the months after the attacks, appears to be taking an especially heavy toll on first responders.” Medscape (4/26, Mulcahy, Subscription Publication) reports that in one study, investigators found “that environmental exposure to the WTC disaster site is associated with myeloma precursor disease and ‘may be a risk factor’ for the development of multiple myeloma at an earlier age, particularly the light-chain subtype.” HealthDay (4/26, Thompson) reports that in the other study, investigators “estimated that in the 20 years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an estimated 2,960 new cancer cases will develop among rescue workers who responded to Ground Zero.” The investigators found that “the rescue workers are at increased risk of prostate cancer, thyroid cancer and melanoma in particular.” http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-cancer-firefighters-wtc-20180426-story.html