Firefighters Fear Toxic Chemicals in Their Gear Could Be Contributing to Cancer Cases

Firefighters Fear Toxic Chemicals in Their Gear Could Be Contributing to Cancer Cases
Firefighter Rod MacKinnon (L) and Lt. Chris Stevens don their turnout gear as they respond to a call at the Engine 21 fire station in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston on Aug. 24, 2023. Michael Dwyer/AP Photo
The Associated Press
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BOSTON—Boston firefighter Daniel Ranahan had heard about colleagues getting cancer but he was stunned when doctors discovered a tumor in his chest.

He was only 30 and had been in the Boston Fire Department less than a decade. But as he investigated his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October 2020 and sought successful treatment, he learned he and others wore gear that contained the toxic industrial compound PFAS.