19. What Happens When Heroes Get Sick?

Podcast: Smarter Than Cancer · Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Opublikowano: 2026-06-11

First responders spend their careers running toward danger to protect their communities. The risks they face in the moment are obvious: raging fires, smoke inhalation, collapsing buildings. But another danger has only come into sharper focus in recent years: cancer. Researchers now know that repeated exposure to smoke, toxic chemicals, and contaminated gear can increase cancer risk. In fact, cancer is now the leading cause of death among retired firefighters. In this episode, Hajar and David learn about the growing evidence behind firefighter cancer risk, what's being done to better understand it, and how fire...