Being bathed in smoke, exposed to all manner of toxic substances and their often more toxic breakdown products, and doing it day in, day out is never going to be risk free.

Authorities around the world recognise this and have broad-based compensation systems that accept if firefighters gets any of a long list of cancers, respiratory diseases, infections or heart problems, the job more than likely did it. But not the UK.

STOP PRESS! The government announced on 16 April 2026 it is to introduce a ‘Firefighters’ Concordat on Health and Wellbeing’ backed up by new research to deliver a system of health monitoring and occupational disease recognition that has a clear focus on prevention. The move came after a lengthy campaign by the firefighters’ union FBU, with backing from occupational health and fire safety professors Andrew Watterson and Anna Stec and Hazards magazine. more

The controversy was reignited on 4 February 2026, when the London Assembly fire committee released its report, ‘Exposure to fire contaminants in London: A hidden, growing risk?’ It makes a series of recommendations recognising the need for urgent action on firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire contaminants, including improving training and access to PPE, and reexamining the evidence on cancers associated with work as a firefighter.

But the firefighters’ union FBU criticised parts of the report for emphasising “positive lifestyle changes, including smoking cessation, physical fitness, diet, sleep hygiene, and alcohol awareness”.

Steve Wright, FBU general secretary, said the union’s members “will rightly find the references to ‘lifestyle’ offensive.”  He added: “Firefighters are dying younger and living with life-altering cancers and chronic illness. These are preventable occupational deaths, and this is a national scandal.

WORK STYLE FBU says it is not a firefighters’ lifestyle that should come first to mind when they get sick, because under normal circumstances they are a selectively healthy bunch. The job exposes firefighters to a high daily dose of polycyclic aromatic compounds, noxious gases and ‘forever chemicals’ like PFAS which are linked to conditions including cancer, heart and lung diseases.

“The UK is decades behind other countries on this issue, and this report underlines the urgent need for basic, long-overdue measures: stronger prevention measures, regular health monitoring for all firefighters, and re-evaluation of compensation for firefighters’ occupational diseases.” He stressed better health surveillance and preventive action should be the priority, not lifestyle advice.

The FBU argument is backed by Anna Stec, professor of fire chemistry and toxicity at the University of Lancashire. “While the report makes positive recommendations on the need for a UK-wide rollout of harmonised contamination exposure tracking and health monitoring for firefighters, the argument that firefighter cancers and diseases could be reduced through lifestyle changes is fallacious,” she said.

FIRE FIGHT Union law firm Thompsons is calling for urgent measures to protect firefighters from asbestos exposure, with around 100 firefighters bringing claims for asbestos-related diseases since 2016. Mike Harding, 74, served more than 30 years in the London Fire Brigade, including time as a fire investigator.  He first developed symptoms of mesothelioma in May 2024 while on holiday, experiencing sudden breathlessness. more

“Lifestyle factors influence health outcomes in any population, but they do not explain the elevated rates of cancer and disease seen in firefighters. Why should firefighters be expected to adopt such changes in order to compensate for the toxic environments they are routinely exposed to at work?”

It is an argument reinforced in a January 2026 paper in the journal Occupational Health I co-authored with Stirling University workplace health professor, Andrew Watterson. The paper was developed from a submission to the London Assembly. Like those from Professor Stec and others, it emphasised the point that firefighters are a selectively healthy group.

Under normal circumstances, this ‘healthy worker effect’ should apply. If diseases occur above the levels seen in the general working population you have to really consider seriously that work is the probable cause.

“The fitness requirements for the occupation, the demands of the job and the age profiles mean this group falls into the epidemiological category where the healthy worker effect is far more likely to apply to the working population than ‘lifestyle’ factors,” the paper notes.

Instead better scrutiny is needed to identify the real causes.

“Firefighters are exposed to many predictable and also novel substances, depending on the nature of the fire and the materials involved. The impact of firefighters’ exposures requires active surveillance, both for the expected and the unexpected.”

But the UK system doesn’t operate that way. “The UK occupational disease surveillance and recognition system currently fails firefighters because the approach is premised on reducing liability and expense instead of on prevention,” the paper states.

“The human and economic costs of firefighter ill-health are too often externalised and ignored, whereas the costs of providing basic health screening are exaggerated. A range of occupational diseases, including cancers, in firefighters across the world have been identified but not recognised within the UK’s prescription system.

“There are several reasons why this is the case. One important factor is a lack of health surveillance and screening.”

It says the diseases identified internationally include communicable and non-communicable diseases such as infections, heart and lung disease and cancers associated with exposures as a firefighter.

In the US, Canada, Australia and parts of Europe, this evidence has been accepted by governments as sufficient for occupational disease compensation claims to be allowed for firefighters with over 20 types of cancer.

“The UK government’s advisers on industrial injuries and industrial diseases have resisted such recognition,” the paper observes.  “They often persist in using a ‘balance of probabilities’ approach to firefighters’ occupational diseases based on a ‘doubling of risk’ criterion.

“This creates an unreasonably high bar that necessarily excludes many legitimate, work-related cases. IARC [WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer] Group 1 carcinogen listings, for example, occur in cases that have significant increases but not a doubling of risk.”

This means absolutely indisputable occupational cancers do not make the UK cut.
A paper coauthored by Professor Stec, published in January 2023 in the journal Scientific Reports, reported that 4.1 per cent of surveyed firefighters were found to have a cancer diagnosis.

Instances of cancer among firefighters aged 35-39 was up to 323 per cent higher than in the general population in the same age category.

Professor Stec’s research indicated firefighters who have served at least 15 years are found to be 1.7 times as likely to develop cancer than those who have served less time.

FBU’s Steve Wright believes the UK needs to give more attention to the work-related causes of firefighters’ ill-health.  “Firefighters are not getting sick because of personal choices – they are getting sick because they are being systematically exposed to toxic substances in the course of their work.

“When so many other countries and international bodies are doing the right thing and recognising the risks firefighters face, it is time for our own government to stop ignoring the evidence and act.”

• Watterson, A; O’Neill, R. Firefighters’ Exposures to Contaminants and Adverse Impacts on Their Health: Why the UK Needs Better Occupational Disease Recognition for Firefighters Along Global Lines, Better Occupational Health Services, and Improved Health Surveillance. Occupational Health 2026.
• Taylor AM Wolffe, Andrew Robinson, Kathryn Dickens, Louis Turrell, Anna Clinton, Daniella Maritan-Thomson, Miland Joshi and Anna A Stec. Cancer incidence amongst UK firefighters. Scientific Reports, 12, 22072, 2022.

FBU campaign wins health surveillance and new research

The government is to introduce a ‘Firefighters’ Concordat’ to deliver a system of health monitoring  for firefighters with a focus on prevention.

The move came after a lengthy campaign by the firefighters’ union FBU, with backing from occupational health and fire safety professors Andrew Watterson and Anna Stec and Hazards magazine.

Speaking at the Fire Brigade Union (FBU), health secretary Wes Streeting announced the Firefighters’ Concordat on Health and Wellbeing – an agreement amongst key organisations to work together to improving firefighters’ health and wellbeing.   

He said under the agreement, rather than waiting until firefighters become ill, the government is committing to prevention first – one that keeps firefighters healthier for longer, reduces NHS costs, and ensures the fire and rescue service can retain experienced, fit and skilled workers. 

Wes Streeting, said: “Firefighters run towards danger knowing full well the risks they face during an emergency, but we know very little about how the speed and courage of their work impacts their health.

“That is because for too long their concerns have been ignored – but this new agreement promises to change things: to boost funding for research that is well overdue, and work in partnership with firefighters and their unions, alongside employers and fire chiefs to better protect and support them in the long term.

“We cannot continue to ask people to give everything in service of others and then fail them when they need help themselves.”

He said the government is directing new funding for research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to build the evidence base and better support understanding of how best to tackle firefighters’ health risks – from mental health to musculoskeletal health, and from cancer to cardiovascular disease.  

There will be a specific focus on underrepresented groups in the profession, including women, who have too often had to do their jobs in kit and protective equipment that was not designed for them.

The government said the agreement –  a Firefighters Concordat on Health and Wellbeing – builds on commitments made in the 10 Year Health Plan, which will also raise awareness of the NHS services that could most benefit and support firefighters as well as better information on how they can access them at times that work best for them. 

Steve Wright, FBU general secretary, commented: “The commitment from the Health Secretary to increase health monitoring for firefighters is a very welcome and important step forward.

“It reflects the constructive work that has taken place between the union and government, and shows what can be achieved when firefighters’ voices are properly represented.”

He added: “Our members put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public, often in extremely challenging and dangerous conditions. It is right that their health and safety is recognised and taken seriously.

“Today’s commitment is an important milestone, and we are pleased to see this progress being made.”

National Fire Chiefs Council Chair, Phil Garrigan, said: “Firefighters’ work sees them encounter hazardous environments and harmful contaminants, often with long-term consequences that may only become apparent years down the line. A shared, coordinated approach across employers, representative bodies, health services and partners is essential if those risks are to be understood, reduced and properly monitored.

“We have been clear that prevention, early intervention and consistent standards are key. Work to strengthen contamination controls, improve facilities and enhance health monitoring must be informed by the best available evidence and applied consistently across all fire and rescue services.”

The Firefighters’ Concordat on Health and Wellbeing will be delivered through a working group established under the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform, bringing together the government, fire and rescue services, employers and representative bodies to deliver a comprehensive programme of improvements, including working to establish monitoring to better assess firefighter health and better spot risks.

Warning on firefighters’ asbestos risk

A union law firm is calling for urgent measures to protect firefighters from asbestos exposure, with around 100 firefighters bringing claims for asbestos-related diseases since 2016.

Amanda Jones, head of asbestos at personal injury law firm Thompsons, is acting for a number of crew members diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions after routine call-outs, clean-up operations and training exercises spanning several decades.

She said: “We are continuing to see new cases for firefighters whose exposure to asbestos occurred in stations, in derelict buildings used for training exercises, and while tackling fires in buildings where asbestos was disturbed.”

She warned: “Asbestos remains present in many buildings, and it is therefore of paramount importance that every precaution is taken when attending fires in buildings where they were constructed before the full ban of asbestos was introduced in 1999.”

Thompsons is supporting the TUC’s argument that as long asbestos remains in buildings – even if “managed” – it will continue to pose a threat to workers and occupants.

The law firm says this is of particular importance when you factor in an emergency risk into the setting.

Mike Harding (above), served more than 30 years in the London Fire Brigade, including time as a fire investigator. The 74-year-old first developed symptoms in May 2024 while on holiday, experiencing sudden breathlessness.  After collapsing, fluid was drained from his lungs and further investigations at Guy’s Hospital confirmed he had epithelioid mesothelioma.

His legal team at Thompsons Solicitors, led by Laura Morrison, traced the exposure to decades of attending fires in commercial, industrial and residential properties across London, many of which contained asbestos-lagged pipes, ceilings, wall panels and roofing.

As a fire investigator, Mike says he routinely sifted through debris without breathing apparatus or even a face mask. He told journalists: “Nobody ever told us to watch out for asbestos because it was dangerous. We simply didn’t know the risks. What worries me is that firefighters are still damping down fires and clearing debris without using respirators.”

Thompsons has since secured a settlement from his former employer, including funding for private immunotherapy to support his ongoing treatment, after it admitted that he had been repeatedly exposed to asbestos throughout his career - a risk he could not have reasonably avoided.

Thompsons says it has supported many FBU members and has settled claims against several fire brigades and local authorities, some with full admissions of breach of duty.

Amanda Jones said: “Firefighters run towards danger to protect the public. We must do everything possible to raise awareness of asbestos risks and prevent future victims of this silent killer.”

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FIRE STORM

If you had to pick a job placing workers at daily risk of potentially deadly diseases, ranging from lung conditions, to heart problems and cancer, firefighter has to be near the top of the list. So, asks Hazards editor Rory O’Neill, why do the UK authorities not recognise this?