September 10, 2025
Guests: Alberto Caban-Martinez, D.O., Ph.D., M.P.H., and Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Listen Time: 39m 46s
Breaking the silence Around cancer and firefighters
Breaking the silence Around cancer and firefighters Firefighters sprint into dangerous situations to protect their communities. But what happens when the very act of helping others puts their own lives at risk?
On the latest episode of “Inside U Miami Medicine,” Alberto Caban-Martinez, D.O., Ph.D., M.P.H., and Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H. — leaders of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center — pull back the curtain on a health crisis: the elevated cancer risk firefighters face because of toxic exposures on the job.
The science is stark and the urgency is clear. When firefighters leave the scene of a fire, their gear and even their skin carries smoke, soot and other residue back into trucks, stations, and sometimes even their homes. Research from Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative has shown that this material is laced with chemicals known to cause cancer.
Listen to hear how science, advocacy and collaboration are reshaping the future of firefighter health.
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