Firefighters face many dangers including exposure to toxins that may cause cancer, Senator Charles Schumer said at the Schoharie fire house Wednesday afternoon.
Senator Schumer is supporting the creation of a first-ever national firefighter cancer registry.
Firefighters' cancer risk can be double that of other people due to exposure to toxins in modern homes, clothes, and furniture, Senator Schumer told state and local leaders and firefighters.
The registry, he added, would record the age, possible cause of the illness, and the type of cancer. The registry would be completely voluntary and anonymous.
This could lead to the abolishment of the chemicals that cause the cancer or limit those chemicals to specific places, Senator Schumer said.
"It all starts with that registry. It has the support of everybody."
He hopes to get the legislation passed quickly and on the president's desk for approval shortly after the Thanksgiving break.
Firefighters face many risks and must be protected, Senator Schumer noted.
"They're our heroes," he added.
Firefighters, he explained, are similar to veterans.
"They volunteer and risk their lives for freedom and our safety.
"In both cases they run to danger. When there's a fire, instead of running away from it, they run toward it."
The instances of cancer among firefighters increase after 9-11, he added.
After firefighters fought the blazes that destroyed the World Trade Center buildings, many have been diagnosed with rare forms of cancers and at a much younger age, Senator Schumer explained.
"What we learned was that it was stuff in the air."
Eventually, the registry could lead to a better way to treat the disease among firefighters, he added.
Senator Schumer is co-sponsoring the legislation in the senate. It has also been introduced in the House of Representatives.
The registry would be managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.