LOS ANGELES \u2014 A new program aimed at detecting lung cancer early among Los Angeles firefighters is expanding after already screening more than 250 firefighters.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know
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\nFirefighters have already been screened through a new free lung cancer screening program launched by RadNet in partnership with the Los Angeles Fire Department
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\nThe low-dose CT scan takes less than a minute and can help detect lung cancer and other lung diseases before symptoms develop
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\nFirefighters face an elevated cancer risk due to repeated exposure to smoke, diesel exhaust, asbestos and other hazardous materials on the job
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\nThe program could eventually serve up to 2,000 firefighters as it continues to expand across the department
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Medical imaging company RadNet has partnered with the Los Angeles Fire Department to provide complimentary low-dose CT lung cancer screenings for firefighters, a group health experts say faces an increased risk of cancer after years of exposure to smoke, diesel exhaust, asbestos and other hazardous materials encountered on the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is critical that we detect lung cancer early in its earliest stages when it\u2019s most treatable,\u201d said Dr. Dalia Artal, a radiologist with RadNet.<\/p>\n
The screening itself is simple, requiring just one 30-second breath hold inside a CT scanner. There are no needles or invasive procedures.<\/p>\n
According to Artal, the benefits extend beyond detecting lung cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only are they exposed to certain toxins and hazardous exposures that cause an increased risk for lung cancer, there\u2019s also an increased risk for other types of lung diseases,\u201d she said. \u201cThe screening test allows us to detect those.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program was launched in recognition of firefighters who responded to the Palisades Fire, but LAFD Battalion Chief Aaron Guggenheim said the health risks associated with the profession often don\u2019t appear until years after the emergency is over.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can follow firefighters for decades,\u201d Guggenheim said, adding that he has personally lost fellow firefighters to cancer and other work-related illnesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve sadly seen our mentors going through things that are results of what they were exposed to as firefighters \u2014 not just here at LAFD, but across the nation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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Firefighter cancer has become a growing concern nationwide.<\/p>\n
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general U.S. population. The International Agency for Research on Cancer also classifies occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogenic to humans, citing evidence linking the profession to mesothelioma and bladder cancer.<\/p>\n
LAFD officials say early detection is one of the best tools available to help protect firefighters from the long-term health effects of the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to take advantage of all the technology we can to facilitate early detection so we can have treatments,\u201d Guggenheim said.<\/p>\n
For Artal, the screening program is a way to give back to the firefighters who spend their careers protecting others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey protect us tirelessly, day and night, in the face of danger and harm,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is the least that we can do to give back and help make sure that they stay healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program is expected to expand to as many as 2,000 members of the LAFD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 A new program aimed at detecting lung cancer early among Los Angeles firefighters is expanding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[26528,16492,2997,16461,7,1570,48,52,51,47,50,49,1492,5999,5996,535],"class_list":["post-408292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-anna-albaryan","tag-app-health","tag-app-public-safety","tag-app-wildfires","tag-california","tag-health","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-public-safety","tag-socal-what-you-need-to-know","tag-vod","tag-wildfires"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}