Firefighters want cancer screenings, Post-Intelligencer reports

Seattle firefighters say the city is not doing enough to help screen them for cancer, the Post-Intelligencer reporters Kathy Mulady and Casey McNerthney write in today’s paper.

Under Washington law, seven forms of cancer are considered to be job-related when diagnosed in firefighters. Firefighters with these cancers qualify for workers’ compensation. But firefighters who develop other cancers must prove their cancer is job-related to quality for the benefits.

Firefighters think cancers not on the Washington list should be included and want the city to help pay for annual cancer screenings so cancers can be caught early when there’s a better chance for cure.

“City officials are sympathetic but question the effectiveness and cost of health screenings,” Mulady and McNerthney report.

Category: Cancer, Occupational Health, Poisoning & Environmental Health