Mashpee Fire Lt. Nicole Stanley realized just how important banning harmful chemicals in flame retardants is when she was diagnosed with occupational cancer last summer.
“Now that I’ve been diagnosed with cancer, it’s an eye-opener to me. I thought I was protecting myself,” Stanley told the Herald. “I have no family history so it caught me by surprise.”
Doctors have attributed Stanley’s rare form of breast cancer to exposure of carcinogens in her 28 years of service on the Mashpee Fire Department, she said. Stanley, 50, was diagnosed on Aug. 21 after finding a lump in her breast during a self-exam. She recently finished 16 weeks of chemotherapy and will soon undergo surgery for a double mastectomy.
“We thought it was protecting us, but it’s not. It’s causing more hazards to us,” Stanley said of the flame retardants.
Stanley urged Gov. Charlie Baker to sign a bill that bans the use of 11 toxic flame-retardant chemicals found in children’s products, residential furniture and household goods, as did Rep. Marjorie Decker, Sen. Cindy Creem, the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, Clean Water Action and MASSPIRG at a State House press conference Tuesday.
The bill was among the final ones passed before the Legislature ended the last session. Baker must sign it before Friday or it is vetoed, according to Creem.
“Nobody is saying these chemicals are right, nobody is saying these chemicals don’t put poison in our bodies, not one person has come to my office and said this is a good thing,” Creem said. “This is a bad thing and we need to stand on the side of protecting people — our first responders, our children, all of the public.”
Decker said the science shows that the chemicals actually don’t work to prevent or slow fires, but instead create a harmful, poisonous smoke.
“Make no mistake, this bill will save lives,” Decker said. “The only people, the only people who want this are those who are making a lot of money off of this so today we ask Gov. Baker to stand with us. Stand with consumers. Stand with children. Stand with public health. Stand with people who every day risk their lives running into fires to save our lives.”
Baker told reporters on Monday that the bill is “still under review.”
Rich MacKinnon, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, remembered the late former Sen. Ken Donelley, a longtime secretary treasurer of the PFFM and a Lexington Firefighter for over 30 years, who died of occupational cancer in April 2017.
“We’re here representing the members who have died in the line of duty from cancer exposure and occupational cancers,” MacKinnon said. “Many of them — their names — adorn the memorial on the back of the State House.”
Firefighters face a 9 percent increase in cancer diagnoses and a 14 percent increase in cancer-related deaths compared to the general population in the U.S., according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
“Firefighters have the highest risk of cancer — of all forms of cancer, not just lung cancer,” Stanley said. “Even though we wear the protective gear, it’s still out there, the flame retardants that cause cancer and it’s causing more issues for us. It’s the safety of firefighters, first responders and the community.”
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