Firefighters face a higher risk of skin cancer – nano fabrics with tiny, rough fibers can help keep them safer

The risk to firefighters isn’t just from breathing wildfire smoke – it’s also in the chemicals that get on their clothes and filter through to their skin.

By: Sumit Mandal, Oklahoma State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 9, 2026

Words: 982

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Sumit Mandal, Oklahoma State University

Wildland firefighters are exposed to a mix of harmful chemicals in the smoke they breathe and the ash and soot that gets on their clothing. Over long assignments fighting fires that can last for days to weeks, those chemicals can be absorbed by their skin.

Some of those chemicals are carcinogens. A 2025 study found that firefighters in general had a 58% higher risk of dying …

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