From the perspective of a volunteer firefighter, I believe that although safety guidelines and personal protective equipment (PPE) are in place, l Exposure to carcinogens in the workplace is too high, especially in firefighters. Firefighters are public emergency workers with specialized training in firefighting and rescue. The firefighter's primary duty is to extinguish fires that threaten property or civilians. However, in recent years there has been an increase in the rescuers' side. When a firefighter is at work, he or she is exposed to dust containing cement, fiberglass, asbestos, lead, and fumes containing hydrocarbons and PCBs, all released from burning buildings. They are also exposed to toxic fumes from the use of fuel in equipment and diesel fumes from appliances. Firefighters are protected by wearing appropriate PPE which includes a protective thermal jacket, trousers, balaclava with rubber boots and SCBA and by adhering to standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In March of this year I attended a cancer conference commissioned by my volunteer firefighters by oncologist Kenneth R. Kunz, M.D., Ph.D. According to Kunz, cancer is a natural part of life and if you live long enough some form of disease will inevitably develop for a long time. Kunz also said that the cancer rate of firefighters involved in the 9/11 emergency response was significantly higher than that of other firefighters. This is supported by a study funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (The Lancet). According to this research, the events of 9/11 created a disaster area that resulted in 12,500 first responders being exposed to occupational exposure to known carcinogens. The study consisted of 9853 Wor...... half of the paper ......ology. Supplement, 4258-63. doi:10.1080/03008880802284423Delclos, G.L., & Lerner, S.P. (2008). Occupational risk factors**. Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology, 4258-63. doi:10.1080/03008880802284423Gold, L., Manley, N. B., Slone, T. H., & Ward, J. M. (2001). Compendium of chemical carcinogens by target organ: results of chronic bioassays in rats, mice, hamsters, dogs and monkeys. Toxicological Pathology, 29(6), 639-652. doi:10.1080/019262301753385979The Lancet.(2011) Early assessment of cancer outcomes in New York City firefighters following the September 11 attacks: an observational cohort study Volume 378, Number 9794, Pages 898 - 905, September 3 2011 doi:10.1016/S0140 -6736(11)60989-6PINAR, T. (2012). Employment and cancer. International Journal of Hematology and Oncology / UHOD: Uluslararasi Hematoloji Onkoloji Dergisi, 22(3), 202-210. doi:10.4999/uhod.11069