Elevated levels of 'forever chemicals' found in blood of some firefighters who battled LA wildfires
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Preliminary testing showed some Los Angeles firefighters had elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in their blood after they helped battle the Eaton and Palisades fires.
But researchers are still many years away from knowing truly how these fires impacted their health and the health of Southern California residents.
"A lot of folks were concerned about getting their blood tested," Battalion Chief Aaron Guggenheim, who leads the Los Angeles Fire Department's Wellness Section, said in an interview.
Some LAFD firefighters were already being screened for a cancer study funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Gunnenheim told ABC7 that the study took samples of the firefighters' blood again in late January -- weeks after the fires.
"Firefighters who responded to the urban conflagrations showed significant increases in concentrations of two forever chemicals, PFOS and PFNA," according to preliminary results from that Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study.
"They found it to be what they call statistically significant -- so attributed to more than just chance," said Guggenheim.
It's still much too early to know if exposure to those forever chemicals will have any impact on the health of those firefighters.
Forever chemicals are also commonly known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heavy exposure to them can potentially cause cancer, increase cholesterol levels, and impact the immune system.
The good news is, Guggenheim said heavy metals were not found in the blood samples from LAFD members.
But as 7 On Your Side Investigates reported in March, testing done by Harvard Health just days after the L.A. fires -- on 20 blood samples from 20 Northern California firefighters who battled the L.A. blazes -- showed their lead levels were five times greater, and their mercury levels were three times greater than a control group.
Of course, health impacts from exposures to these chemicals don't usually appear until years or decades down the line, so firefighters hope these researchers are in this for the long haul.
Meanwhile, Guggenhiem said he has also seen some mental impacts from these fires because some firefighters were in life-or-death positions.
He said he is making sure they have access to psychologists and therapy dogs to help them get through the trauma.
