U.S. Forest Service to provide firefighters with masks after news coverage highlights health risks

Wildland firefighters can wear masks after reports on smoke risks

The U.S. Forest Service announced earlier this week that wildfire fighters can now voluntarily mask up against smoke, reversing a decades-long policy banning the use of respirators to reduce exposure to toxins and carcinogens.According to new guidance the agency posted on Monday, the Forest Service will provide N95 respirators in the standard set of equipment for workers on a fireline – acknowledging that the masks can “provide some level of pro…

3 Lehigh Valley firefighters died of service-related cancer in recent years. What can be done to combat health threat?

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U.S. Forest Service to provide firefighters with masks after news coverage highlights health risks

The policy change comes after a series in The New York Times that included a story about an Oregon firefighter who got sick with cancer at 24.