Petra Pribylová, Head of the Central Laboratories of the RECETOX Research Infrastructure, gave a presentation on 18.10.2023 in Paris at a press conference addressed to representatives of French ministries, firefighters and the general public.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) considers it unequivocal that firefighters are exposed to carcinogenic chemicals that directly affect their health during their occupation. Such substances include, in particular, brominated flame retardants.
Activities have therefore been initiated in France to better protect the health and lives of firefighters. The aim of these efforts is to get the French government to take into account the possible occupational risks of the firefighting profession, to enshrine the protection of firefighters in legislation, and at the same time to reconsider certain types of cancer as possible occupational diseases, as is already the case in the USA or Canada.
The Vert de Rage team of the French television channel Premieres Lignes, led by investigative journalist Martin Boudot, is preparing a documentary on the subject of health risks for firefighters. This was filmed, among other things, in the RECETOX laboratories where independent analysis of the blood serum of French professional and volunteer firefighters was carried out.
The results of the analysis were presented on 18 October 2023 in Paris at a press conference addressed to representatives of French ministries, firefighters and the general public. An important part of the programme was a lecture by Petra Pribylova, Head of the Central Laboratories of the RECETOX Research Infrastructure. Thanks to the participation of nearly 35 journalists representing the major French media, several reports were produced.
The whole initiative, backed by media interest, led to a pledge by the French Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, on the floor of the French Parliament to start looking into the occupational exposure of firefighters and the reassessment of certain types of cancer as occupational diseases. In this context, France is also considering the creation of a registry for the protection of firefighters' health, which would collect important data on the morbidity and possible causes of firefighters' illnesses.
We are proud to have been able to contribute to the future better protection of French firefighters. We hope that similar steps can be taken in the Czech Republic, based on the analyses carried out in the CELSPAC: FireExpo study, which looked at the exposure of Czech firefighters who risk their own health every day to protect others. We hope that other countries will be inspired by this step and improve the conditions for their firefighters.
A forthcoming French documentary will be released early next year, and we will keep you posted.
Scientist Luděk Sehnal, a successful applicant for several prestigious scholarships for which he and his family traveled the world, is finishing his work in Germany and plans to return to RECETOX. He wishes to pass on his experience and support the development of excellent science in the Czech Republic.
This June, the 20th-anniversary of summer school and training within the PARC project on chemical exposure and modeling will occur at RECETOX. Remember to register by April 28 via the form.
