Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) proposed legislation earlier this month to establish a national cancer registry for firefighters, in the hopes the data will help pinpoint toxic building materials and highlight opportunities for prevention of some types of cancer.
"Our brave firefighters on Long Island and across New York State are on the frontlines, risking their lives to protect our communities," Sen. Schumer said during a visit to the Garden City (N.Y.) Fire Department. "And now with the ubiquitous presence of complex chemicals in our furniture, clothes and goods, they are too often exposed to a caustic brew of toxins when fighting fires. That is why it so important for Congress to pass this critical legislation to establish a national voluntary firefighter cancer registry, so researchers can better track, treat — and one day prevent — the potential connections between firefighting and cancer."
The registry, which would be managed by the CDC, would be voluntary. It would help treat, track and prevent cancer among firefighters, some types of which are twice as common among firefighters as the general public, according to a study cited by Sen. Schumer.
Sen. Schumer and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) are co-sponsoring legislation to create the registry.
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