CDC Seeks Input on Firefighter Registry | WPN World People News

CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is asking for input on how to encourage more than 1.1 million U.S. firefighters’ participation in a voluntary registry.

The National Firefighter Registry will help researchers better understand why firefighters are at increased risk of certain types of cancer – including digestive, lung, throat, and urinary cancers.

“Firefighters put their lives on the line to ensure our safety in emergencies, but their jobs may also put them at risk for long-term health effects such as cancer,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D.

Researchers also will use the registry to raise awareness about better ways to protect firefighters from known cancer risks, including advancements in the design and care of personal protective equipment and practices that can lower firefighters’ exposure to hazardous substances.

“We look forward to receiving this formal input from our partners in the fire service on how we can make sure they are engaged in this process as we move forward. Their contributions will be important to the overall success of this registry,” said Kenny Fent, Ph.D., head of the National Firefighter Registry Program.

The NIOSH announcement appears in the Federal RegisterExternal; interested stakeholders will have 60 days to offer comments. NIOSH anticipates that enrollment will likely begin in 2020 when the design and operation of the registry are established. A 2018 lawExternal requires NIOSH to develop and maintain a voluntary registry of firefighters – including volunteer, retired, paid-on-call, and career firefighters – to monitor firefighters’ cancer rates and to make the results public.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention