Grenfell firefighters exposed to toxic smoke developed health disorders, research has found
More than a quarter of firefighters exposed to toxic smoke during the Grenfell Tower blaze have suffered long-term health problems, a study has found.
Ministers are facing demands for an urgent review after data from 524 firefighters who risked their lives in the 2017 disaster showed that 136 reported life-changing conditions during the first three years. These included 11 cases of cancer, 64 respiratory diseases, 22 neurological diseases and 66 digestive diseases.
Professor Anna Stec, a world-leading expert on toxicity and co-author of the report, found that most firefighters who disclosed health problems had not always worn respiratory protection due to the urgency of the disaster, which killed 72 people.
Through 2020, the rate of digestive and respiratory illnesses among firefighters exposed to smoke during fires was three times higher than among those who were not, the report found.
The report, which will be published on Friday, says setting up a health screening program for Grenfell firefighters, similar to that set up for those who served in New York after the September 11 atrocities, could reduce the number of premature deaths .
The Home Office has admitted that the report’s findings are “concerning”.
A program of “rapid and comprehensive health screening followed by prioritized treatment, similar to that of WTC (World Trade Center) firefighters, would most likely reduce the incidence of premature deaths among these firefighters,” the report said.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said the investigation was “strong evidence that firefighters were exposed to extreme levels of toxic smoke at the tower, many without any respiratory protection”.
“We must learn from the aftermath of September 11, which made clear that improved health testing is critical to protecting the lives of firefighters and residents.”
The fire at the 23-storey tower block in west London on June 14, 2017 was the worst in a British residential building since the Second World War. Seventy people died on the spot and two people died later in hospital. More than seventy people were injured.
Flammable cladding spread the fire from outside to most flats and produced large quantities of toxic gases.
The report in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, entitled Grenfell Tower Fire: Toxic Effluents and Assessment of Firefighters’ Health Impacts, examined the health of 524 of the 628 Grenfell firefighters who were present during the first 20 hours of the fire over three years.
Of the 136 firefighters who reported health problems, most had not worn respiratory protection at some point, the report said.
“Among the smoke-exposed group, there appears to be a high incidence of digestive illness among those reporting immediate health symptoms. In contrast, among those who do not report smoke exposure, the incidence of the most common longer-term health outcomes is significantly lower, typically one-third the incidence of those exposed to smoke,” the report said.
The report states that a much higher number of cancer diagnoses are expected to occur among Grenfell firefighters over the next decade.
“Given that certain cancers have a long latency period, the number of health disorders in GT firefighters is expected to increase over the next decade,” the report said.
Stec, professor of fire chemistry and toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire and an expert witness at the Grenfell Tower inquiry, said firefighters in Grenfell experienced “significantly higher rates of gastrointestinal, respiratory, neurological and other illnesses” compared to those outside worked. the building.
“While it is not possible to definitively trace an illness back to a single incident, it is alarming that a large proportion of firefighters who were exposed to very high levels of smoke that night are now becoming ill,” she said.
Previous research has shown that toxic contaminants from fires are directly linked to increased rates of cancer and mental health problems among firefighters.
No comparable group of firefighters has been studied, making it “challenging” to assess the extent to which the identified health outcomes are solely due to toxicants from the fire, the report said.
Jamie McDonnell, 54, a father and grandfather from West Sussex, is among former Grenfell firefighters who have since contracted incurable cancer.
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A firefighter for 30 years, he said he and others deserved to know if their cancer was caused by what they endured that day.
He said: “We know there are firefighters like me who worked in very difficult conditions with poor equipment that day and now have cancer. It’s hard to know whether we can blame what happened at Grenfell, or whether we can blame it on other days at work.
“But these numbers should make you think there could be a connection. The government must monitor the health of the firefighters who worked at Grenfell and get to the bottom of this.”
McDonnell was forced to retire after being diagnosed with neck cancer in 2019. On the day of the Grenfell fire in June 2017, he was part of Blue Watch, the second phase of firefighters who entered the tower from 10am to help search for survivors in the smoldering wreckage.
He spent eight hours sifting through rubble up to the thirteenth floor of the tower, often with poor visibility as acrid smoke continued to fill the building’s shell. Due to a lack of standard breathing equipment, he and his colleagues were forced to wear dust masks instead.
McDonnell was diagnosed with neck cancer in 2019 and told he had a 25% chance of living another five years. He is campaigning to force London’s fire brigade to install washing machines in all fire stations so that firefighters are no longer forced to take home uniforms full of toxic debris.
“It has been eight years since the fire and firefighters are still taking their work clothes home and infecting their families,” he said.
Firefighters who visited Grenfell reported similar health symptoms to the firefighters who responded to the collapse of the World Trade Center.
After September 11, a lifelong health monitoring program was established in the US for first responders and the local community, which has saved lives after enabling early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases.
No established program of regular health monitoring has been implemented for cancer and other diseases among the firefighters and residents affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
The report calls for further research to better understand the health risks.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The health and safety of firefighters is of paramount importance and emerging research showing they may be exposed to pollutants is worrying.
“Fire and rescue authorities, like employers, must take their responsibility for the health and welfare of firefighters seriously and take appropriate action to protect their workforce.”