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Grenfell Tower firefighters “suffering debilitating health effects”
07 January 2025
NEW RESEARCH conducted by the University of Central Lancashire, with assistance from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), has found that over 25% of surveyed firefighters who attended the Grenfell Tower blaze are now suffering from long-term health disorders.

Analysing available data from 524 of the 628 firefighters who attended the disaster in June 2017, and with the full results just published in the Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, the research highlights that 26% of the firefighters reported adverse health outcomes, with 301 adverse outcomes reported overall. In many cases, firefighters have suffered from more than one health disorder. These include 66 cases of digestive diseases, 64 respiratory diseases, 22 neurological diseases and 11 cancer diagnoses.
Authored by Professor Anna Stec, renowned as a world-leading expert in fire chemistry and toxicity, the study report finds that a majority of the 136 firefighters reporting health disorders had not worn respiratory protection at some point during their activities at the location. They were unable to follow safety protocols due to the severity of the incident.
Firefighters were exposed to smoke with gases and particulate matter at a far higher levels than the limit set by the Health and Safety Executive, with many experiencing immediate symptoms including choking, difficulty in breathing and vomiting on the night of the disaster in London’s North Kensington.
Over three times as many firefighters who were exposed to smoke during the incident have reported digestive and respiratory diseases in the three years after the tragedy compared to those who were not exposed.
Scientists warn that the full health impact of the Grenfell Tower fire is still unknown, with many cancers and diseases taking years to develop.
Comparisons with 9/11
Firefighters who attended Grenfell Tower report similar health symptoms to those firefighters who responded to the collapse of the World Trade Centre in New York following the terrorist attacks in September 2001.
In the wake of 9/11, a lifelong health monitoring programme was set up for emergency responders and the local community, which has enabled early diagnosis and treatment of cancers and other diseases, in turn saving lives.
However, no established regular health monitoring programme has been implemented for cancers and other diseases among the firefighters and residents affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
‘Above and beyond’
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, said: “As ever, our thoughts are with the bereaved, survivors and residents of the Grenfell Tower fire. On that tragic night, firefighters went ‘above and beyond’ to save lives from an inferno that should never have happened. This new research evidences that many of the firefighters who risked their own lives are now suffering serious health effects.”
Wrack continued: “We now have powerful evidence to suggest that firefighters were exposed to extreme levels of toxic smoke at Grenfell Tower. Many of them were without any form of respiratory protection. The figures are stark, with 136 of those attending in the first 20 hours now living with one or more diseases associated with smoke exposure.”
In conclusion, Wrack asserted: “We must learn lesson from the aftermath of 9/11, which made it clear that enhanced health testing is vital for protecting the lives of firefighters and residents. Regular health monitoring must be rolled out across the Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that diseases can be treated in their early stages.”
Anna Stec (Professor in Fire Chemistry and Toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire) observed: “Our latest research finds that firefighters who operated inside Grenfell Tower are reporting significantly higher rates of gastrointestinal, respiratory, neurological and other diseases compared to those who worked outside the building.”
Stec went on to comment: “We know that firefighters are exposed to toxic contaminants in fire throughout their careers, and that preventative measures are needed to protect their health. Although it’s not possible to definitively trace any disease back to a single incident, it’s somewhat alarming that a high proportion of the firefighters who were exposed to very high smoke levels that night are now falling ill.”
Stec concluded: “Given that firefighting is classified as a carcinogenic occupation by the World Health Organisation and associated with higher mortalities from rare cancers, introducing regular health monitoring for UK firefighters is an essential move.”
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