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Trial Lecture – time and place
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Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Per Gustavsson, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
- Second opponent: Lead Head Physician Merete Drevvatne Bugge, STAMI - The National Institute of Occupational Health in Norway, Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate professor Anne Kristin Møller Fell, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Espen Bjertness, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Senior Consultant Kristina Kjærheim, Cancer registry in Norway
Summary
Firefighters are exposed to a variety of known and suspected carcinogens through their work. Previous studies have observed elevated cancer risk at several sites among firefighters, but the association with occupational exposures could be better understood.
This thesis aims to better understand the relationship between firefighters’ occupational exposures and cancer risk. Three occupational epidemiological studies were conducted based on the newly established Norwegian Fire Departments Cohort, which included predominantly male firefighters employed at 15 fire departments in Norway between 1950 and 2018, and linkage to Norwegian registries.
Compared to the general population, we observed elevated incidence of urinary tract cancer, mesothelioma, larynx cancer, and all sites combined among male firefighters in the cohort. For most cancer sites, assessment of cancer incidence versus mortality did not greatly influence the interpretation of results from our cohort. In internal comparisons of urinary tract cancer risk using indicators of exposure to different aspects of firefighting, we did not observe dose-response associations.
Our studies, alongside previous research and knowledge of carcinogens, support a causal association between firefighting and urinary tract cancer and mesothelioma. Efforts to reduce firefighters’ occupational exposures should be maintained, both at the fire scene and fire station.
Additional information
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