Study seeks faster ID of cancer-causing chemicals for firefighters

Los Angeles — A recent study out of the University of California, Los Angeles could accelerate the identification of the riskiest cancer-causing chemicals for firefighters and other people exposed to fires.

Researchers looked at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are released during fires. According to a UCLA press release, a handful of PAHs have been identified as a potential cause of cancer, and one is considered a carcinogen.

The researchers “used molecular simulations to show that six PAHs are more likely than the known carcinogen to latch onto a mutational hot spot in the genome linked to cancer, and to evade a crucial mechanism for repairing DNA lesions.”

Study co-author Derek Urwin, an adjunct chemistry professor at UCLA and a Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter, said he hopes his team’s strategy can “speed up the process of studying these chemicals.”

He added: “Instead of casting a wide net, this could show exactly where we ought to start the process. Efficient, effective, accurate computational studies can even enhance or accelerate the process of developing policy that improves public and occupational health.”

Next, the researchers plan to apply their method to “other genetic hot spots related to cancer, as well as to more PAHs and other compounds, including the ‘forever chemicals’ known as [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs].”

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.