Forest fires release cancer-causing chemicals, firefighter-turned-chemist warns

New research warns that chemicals released from wildfires can penetrate our DNA and increase our risk of cancer. These chemicals appear to evade our body’s built-in DNA repair mechanisms, making it harder for our cells to repair the damage they cause.

When wood and other carbon-based materials burn, they produce smoke containing a class of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. These chemicals can enter our bodies through the mouth, nose and skin, and we are exposed to them almost daily through vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. However, during forest fires, the concentration of these chemicals in the air goes through the roof.

There are many different types of PAHs, many of which have been classified as possible or probable carcinogens (chemicals that cause cancer in humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Only one of them, benzo(a)pyrene or B(a)P, is officially classified as a known carcinogen. However, a new study from UCLA finds that some other PAHs may also pose a serious cancer risk.

A research team led by Derek Urwin used computer modeling to determine how 15 common PAHs interact with our DNA. In particular, they looked at one mutation hotspot in our DNA that is linked to about one-third of all human cancers.

Six of the PAHs tested showed a stronger association with this hot spot in computer modeling than B(a)P, a known carcinogen. Moreover, according to these models, these chemicals are actually quite good at hiding from our body’s natural DNA repair mechanisms.

Not only do these results highlight the need for further research into the carcinogenic potential of these chemicals, but the team hopes that their modeling method can be used to study how other potentially dangerous chemicals interact with our DNA to determine which ones pose the greatest risk . threats to human health.

“We hope our strategy will help accelerate the progress of understanding these chemicals,” Urwin said in a statement. “Instead of casting a wide net, this could show exactly where we should start the process. Effective, efficient, and accurate computational research may even improve or accelerate the process of developing policies that improve public and occupational health.”

Urwin, a veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, also serves as chief scientific advisor to the International Association of Fire Fighters and was recently appointed to the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

“My fellow firefighters have historically received little attention from the scientific community, not out of neglect, but rather because it is difficult to conduct research in the midst of emergency operations,” Urwin said.

“By being in both arenas, I want to provide access to scientists so their research can have a positive impact on health in the fire service community. Science is supposed to make the world a better place for people, whether they are firefighters or anyone else.” “, he said.

Is there a health problem that worries you? Let us know at [email protected]. We may ask experts for advice and your story may be published on Newsweek.

Link

Urwin, D. J., Tran, E., and Alexandrova, A. N. (2024). Relative genotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons inferred from free energy perturbation approaches. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(37). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322155121