Canadian Firefighter Magazine

Researcher tracking health of firefighters in Fort McMurray

By The Canadian Press   

Headlines News

May 18, 2016, Sherwood Park, Alta. - A researcher has started tracking the health of firefighters helping battle a massive Fort McMurray wildfire.

Nicola Cherry at the University of Alberta is taking blood, urine and breath samples of firefighters as they return from northeastern Alberta in a mobile laboratory set up in Sherwood Park, east of Edmonton.

She says hazardous smoke from the blaze is a concern for everyone working in the area.

Cherry has so far tested 55 firefighters and plans to do followups with the study group in three months and perhaps longer.

She plans to see if patterns emerge while comparing factors such as work hours and respiratory devices with long-term health effects.

The fire, now covering more than 4,200 square kilometres, spread into the city of Fort McMurray on May 3, sending more than 80,000 residents fleeing for their safety.


News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. 2016


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