When firefighters report to duty every day, they know they're putting their lives on the line, but besides smoke and flames, there's a silent killer lurking: Cancer.
According to recent studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firefighters are more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with or die from cancer.
According to the CDC, digestive, oral, respiratory and urinary cancers are the most common. Firefighters are much more likely to have malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure.