Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are undertaking a study to better understand the potential enviromental and occupational health risks specific to women in the fire service. Funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the study will examine how being a firefighter affects women’s stress levels, as well as their risk of cancer and reproductive toxicity, or adverse reproductive health outcomes.
“More and more women are joining the fire service,” said Jefferey L. Burgess, MD, MPH, professor and associate dean for research at the UArizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and a UArizona Cancer Center research member. “It’s imperative for us to understand the occupational risks that may be unique to these women and how we can help make their jobs safer in the future.”