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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 conflagrations in the Eaton and Palisades fires created multi‑day exposures to combustion products from burning structures and vehicles. "The long term health impacts of these and years of repeated exposures in the line of duty are currently unknown," he said, arguing that larger, long‑term cohort studies of thousands of California firefighters are needed and that California has the researchers and institutions to run them.
What witnesses asked for Erwin and other witnesses asked the Legislature to: (1) increase state funding to create a sustained California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program capable of longitudinal cohort studies; (2) coordinate University of California and state public health resources; and (3) maintain health monitoring and post‑incident care for first responders.
Context and existing funding Erwin noted that the Legislature passed AB 700 in 2023 to fund smaller firefighter research projects (grants in the $300,000–$750,000 range for two to three years). He said those awards are a start but "these are relatively small research grants" compared with multi‑million‑dollar NIH cohort projects and that state funding at a larger scale could support sustained research and monitoring tailored to California firefighters' combined municipal and wildland exposures.
Ending Witnesses urged the committees to consider sustained research and monitoring as part of the state's recovery investments so the health impacts of intensive exposure events can be studied and mitigated over time.
