A $1.5 million study to reduce cancer among firefighters, a leading cause of death, is being conducted by the University of Arizona in conjunction with the Tucson Fire Department. The three-year study, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will follow up to 600 TFD firefighters. Researchers will study their exposure to carcinogens through the skin, and contamination via inhalation of smoke, diesel exhaust and other chemical gases, vapors and particulates, said Dr. Jeff Burgess, the investigation’s lead researcher. Burgess is associate dean of research at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. His work focuses on improving occupational health and safety, with special attention on firefighters, other public safety personnel and miners. “We want to ensure that not only do we go home, but we go home with the quality of life that we’ve earned,” said Capt. John Gulotta of the Tucson Fire Department, in explaining the importance of the study in a news release. On March 14, 2014, Tucson fire investigator Tom Quesnel died after a battle with leukemia, which he developed in the line of duty. Quesnel spent 20 years investigating nearly 3,000 fires throughout the Southwest. “This collaboration with the University of Arizona will use modern technologies to aid us in finding solutions that will assist in protecting our firefighters against modern-day fires,” Gulotta said. “Something we have to remember is we aren’t just firefighters, we are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends. This partnership will help ensure the health and safety of the future of the fire service.” Burgess said the “study is unique because we are looking at the full range of responses that firefighters make, and we are looking at the contaminants in their urine. We also are looking at the effects these exposures are having on their bodies.” Shane Snyder, professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the UA College of Engineering, will analyze firefighters’ blood and urine samples for chemical contaminants. “Our team will apply state-of-the-art technologies to better determine those substances that firefighters encounter,” Snyder said in the release. The team also will evaluate “responses of human cells exposed to the same chemicals in the laboratory. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time these techniques have been applied to evaluate firefighter exposures,” Snyder said.