Cancer now greatest on-the-job risk for firefighters

>>> ARE YOU CONVINCED THAT

CANCER HAS BEEN CAUSED BY YOUR

JOB?

>> YES. I

AM.

>> Reporter: COMING UP TONIGHT,

THE ALARMING CANCER RATES AMONG

FIREFIGHTERS.

THEY WALK INTO THE THINGS THAT

CAN REACH OVER 1000 DEGREES.

BUT THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF

FIREFIGHTERS IS A WOUND THEY

MAY NOT FIND OUT ABOUT FOUR

YEARS.

>> CULLEN BROWDER JOINS US FROM

A FIRE STATION WITH THE LONG

UNKNOWN RISK OF FIREFIGHTING.

>> Reporter: FIREFIGHTERS

UNDERSTAND THE RISK OF THEIR

JOB.

BUT NOW THEY ARE SOUNDING THE

ALARM ABOUT A DANGER THEY DID

NOT KNOW ABOUT FOR YEARS.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE

INCREASED RISK OF CANCER.

LOOK AT SOME OF THESE NUMBERS.

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT

FIREFIGHTERS ARE TWO TIMES MORE

LIKELY THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC

TO GET MESOTHELIOMA.

THE TESTICULAR CANCER RATE IS

ALSO 100% HIGHER.

NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA IS 50%

HIGHER, SKIN CANCER, 39% AND

BRAIN CANCER IS AT 31% GREATER

RISK. THE LONG-TERM CONCERN

GOES WELL BEYOND JUST SURVIVING

THE EMERGENCY CALL.

>> Reporter: FOR FIREFIGHTERS,

RISK COMES WITH THE JOB.

A POTENT MIX OF FIRE, SMOKE,

ADRENALINE AND DANGER.

>> WE ARE AT RISK.

MANY OF US ARE WORRIED ABOUT

BEING BURNED OR A ROOF COLLAPSE

BUT WE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT

CANCER.

>> Reporter: IN 2016 70% OF

FIREFIGHTERS WHO DIED IN THE

LINE OF DUTY,-CANCER.

FIREFIGHTERS HAVE AT LEAST A 9%

HIGHER CHANCE OF CONTRACTING

CANCER THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

A 40% GREATER RISK OF DYING

FROM IT.

A RALEIGH FIREFIGHTER, KEITH

CURTIN, HAD SURGERY TO REMOVE

KIDNEY CANCER AT THE AGE OF 47.

AND A BATTALION CHIEF HAD SKIN

CANCER REMOVED WITH SIGNATURES

OF MELANOMA.

>> I HAVE DONE THIS MIGHT

ENTIRE CAREER.

AND I HAVE CANCER BECAUSE I

CHOSE TO DO THIS AS A

PROFESSION.

>> Reporter: A RETIRED FIRE

CAPTAIN RECEIVED A STAGE FOR

BRAIN CANCER DIAGNOSIS LAST

FALL.

DOCTORS TELL HIM, IT STARTED AS

LUNG CANCER.

ALTHOUGH HE NEVER SMOKED A DAY

IN HIS LIFE.

>> DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR CANCER

WAS CAUSED BY YOUR CAREER?

>> YES I DO.

IT IS A HAZARDOUS OCCUPATION.

>> Reporter: HE IS THE SAFETY

OFFICER FOR THE RALEIGH FIRE

DEPARTMENT.

>> I WENT FIREFIGHTERS ACROSS

THE NATION TO BE AWARE OF THIS.

THEY NEED TO BE ALIVE TO ENJOY

THEIR PENSION.

THEY EARNED IT.

>> Reporter: YOU GET EMOTIONAL.

WHY IS THAT?

>> HE CALLS IT AN EPIDEMIC.

HE POINTS TO THE YEARS OF

EXPOSURE TO CARCINOGENS FROM

BURNING BUILDING.

AND NOT JUST WHAT IS ABSORBED.

>> SO MUCH GOES ONTO YOUR SKIN.

BUT IT'S ALSO WHAT THEY BREATHE.

>> Reporter: A VOLUNTEER

FIREFIGHTER HAS PUSHED FOR

INCREASED BENEFITS BECAUSE OF

THE INCREASED CANCER RISK.

REPRESENTATIVES WANT TO EXPAND

THAT TO NINE CANCERS COVERED

FOR FIREFIGHTERS.

RIGHT NOW WORKMEN'S

COMPENSATION IS NOT PROVIDED

FOR FIREFIGHTERS WHO AND UP

WITH CANCER FROM THEIR CAREER.

>> WE DON'T PAY THEM A LOT AND

THEY ARE HAPPY WARRIORS.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE NEED

TO THINK ABOUT THE FAMILIES

LEFT BEHIND.

AND THE PERSONAL COST.

>> THERE IS ALMOST IRONY THERE.

YOU LOVE THE JOB.

IN SOME WAYS I GAVE YOU A GOOD

LIFE.

>> IT GAVE ME A GREAT LIFE.

>> Reporter: AND NOW IT COULD

TAKE IT AWAY.

>> EXACTLY.

>> Reporter: INSTEAD OF FIRES,

DAVIS IS NOW FIGHTING TO STAY

ALIVE.

HE AND OTHER FIREFIGHTERS WANT

TO GIVE -- GET THE WORD OUT.

BUT THE POTENTIAL -- ABOUT THE

POTENTIAL LONG-TERM RISKS OF

FIREFIGHTING.

>> I EXPECTED THAT MY BODY

WOULD BE BEAT UP TO SOME DEGREE

BUT THIS IS FAR MORE THAN I

THOUGHT OF.

>> THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH

OUR SERVICE.

FRONTLINE PROBLEMS IN OUR

PROFESSION.

PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ARE

DYING FROM CANCER BECAUSE OF

THE FIREFIGHTING PROFESSION.

>> Reporter: THIS IS JUST ONE

PART OF THE STORY.

WE WILL TELL YOU HOW THE

RALEIGH FIRE DEPARTMENT IS

WORKING TO MAKE THIS A SAFER

JOB WITH THE N.C.

STATE.

>> WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY

COME BACK AT THE END OF THE DAY

AND AT THE END OF THEIR CAREER.

>> Reporter: WRAL INVESTIGATES

TOMORROW AT 6:00.

>>> FROM THE RESEARCH TO THE

AND STATION SAFETY CHANGES THAT

ARE BEING MADE, LOOK FOR OUR

STORY TOMORROW AT 6:00.

THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO

CONTINUE AT THE END OF THIS

NEWSCAST.

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE

NEWSCAST ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

WE WILL HAVE A VERY FRANK

DISCUSSION WITH A CAREER

FIREFIGHTER.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK LIVE.

>> VERY EYE-OPENING STATISTICS.