Police and Toxic Exposure
While asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma cancer has certainly been an issue for police officers around the country, there are numerous additional toxic environmental hazards these hard-working individuals face on a daily basis.
Consider, for example, the toxins that littered New York on the day that the World Trade Center fell and for many weeks thereafter. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated that the debris consisted mostly of construction materials, which included concrete, glass, and fiberglass. Experts who were charged with the task of examining the debris more carefully, however, reported that lead, mercury, cadmium, dioxins, and PCB’s were also found in the mess that was left behind. Police officers and other responders were exposed to all of these hazards...and more.
Of course, tragedies like the one on Sept. 11, 2001 are not everyday occurrences, fortunately. Nevertheless, police officers do come in contact with toxic chemicals and other materials daily that may cause issues like mesothelioma as well as a number of other kinds of cancer or chronic diseases.
A report published by the Law Enforcement Wellness Association states that police officers have an increased risk of lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers (lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma due to exposure to solvents, ionizing radiation, benzene, diesel fuels, and lead, In particular, gun cleaning solvents, carbon monoxide from motor vehicles, and chemicals on the highway play a huge role in cancer development in police personnel. In addition, electromagnetic field exposure, as connected to the use of radio transmissions and radar, may prompt the formation of brain tumors, the study states.
Similarly, another study on chemical hazards and their relationship to police work indicated that everything from a downed utility pole emitting PCBs to a highway or railway chemical spill to an illicit drug laboratory where chemicals of various sorts are used is likely to cause exposure to toxins and other environmental hazards among those in law enforcement.
As exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma cancer, exposure to all of these different toxins can cause not only cancers of different types but also problems that range from simple headaches and nervous system disorders to dangerously impaired reaction time or memory loss. And like asbestos cancer, all of these disorders can eventually become life-threatening.
Police officers need to be given proper training and the correct equipment to help eliminate or – at least – lessen exposure to toxins and other environmental hazards. Continual attention to this problem on the part of local governing bodies that are responsible for the care of their police force can help protect those who are so important to the safety and well-being of others.
Sources
Law Enforcement Wellness Association
http://www.cophealth.com/articles/articles_dying_b.html
Chemical Hazards in Law Enforcement
http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/lawhaz.pdf
