Need for better health monitoring after fires

Study of Grenfell Tower firefighters suggests smoke-induced health risks and calls for preventive post-fire monitoring. One in four of 524 fighters exposed to smoke during the Grenfell Tower fire, London 2017, today report health impacts (mainly digestive or respiratory diseases, 11 cancer diagnoses). 89 firefighters (nearly 20%) report having inhaled smoke without respiratory protection (breathing apparatus) as a consequence of assisting casualties or economising or running out or air. This shows the difficulty of protective equipment use in practice. The authors of this paper fire and fire victims’ associations are calling for better preventive monitoring of firefighter health and of health of survivors of major fires who were exposed to smoke.

“Grenfell Tower Fire. Firefighters' Activities and Their Exposure to Fire Smoke and Heat”, A. Stec et al., JOEM •(Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine), 67(1):p e1-e11, January 2025. | https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000003271

“One in four Grenfell firefighters exposed to toxic smoke now suffer long-term health disorders”, Inside Housing, 3 January 2025 https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/one-in-four-grenfell-firefighters-exposed-to-toxic-smoke-now-suffer-long-term-health-disorders-89904