Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Firefighter testifies to cancer risk; experts call for larger state‑funded cohort studies
Summary
A firefighter-scientist told lawmakers that firefighting is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen and urged California to fund large longitudinal studies to identify biological mechanisms and interventions. Witnesses pointed to AB 700 funds as a start but said larger investments are needed to mount NIH-scale cohort research.
Derek Erwin, a veteran firefighter with LA County Firefighters IFF Local 1014 and an adjunct professor at UCLA, told a joint Senate and Assembly hearing that firefighting exposures are severe and likely increase cancer risk, and he urged lawmakers to expand state research funding beyond the relatively small grants already established by AB 700 in 2023.
Erwin described firefighting as an occupation the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies as a Group 1 carcinogen and said the recent…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
