MORTALITY AND CANCER INCIDENCE IN STOCKHOLM FIRE FIGHTERS

Fire fighters are exposed to irritating, asphyxiating, and toxic gases and aerosols, to psychological stress, and to physically demanding wo rk. Due to differences in fire fighting techniques, exposure condition s for fire fighters differ among different countries. The purpose of t his investigation was to study cancer incidence and mortality in fire fighters who have been working with fire fighting methods used in Swed en from the beginning of this century onwards. All male fire fighters employed for at least 1 year in the City of Stockholm during 1931-1983 were traced, and an index of the number of fires fought was calculate d for each individual. The mortality during 1951-1986 (among 1, 116 fi re fighters) was lower than expected (SMR = 82; 95% confidence interva l 72-91) compared with local mortality rates, with a low mortality in circulatory diseases, obstructive lung diseases, violent deaths, and s uicides. The cancer incidence in 1958-1986 was equal to the expected ( SMR = 100; 95% confidence interval 83-119). However, an excess of stom ach cancer (18 observed vs. 9.37 expected; SMR = 192, 95% CI 114-304) was observed. There was also a tendency for higher incidence and morta lity in stomach and brain cancer with increasing number of fires. Ther e were four deaths from brain cancer compared to 0.8 expected (SMR = 4 96; 95% CI 135-1270) in the highest exposure category. Fire fighters a re, however, not systematically exposed to known stomach or brain carc inogens, and the results need confirmation in further studies with ext ensive exposure evaluations. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.