"ELLSWORTH, Maine — New research by a Blue Hill scientist shows that during a fire, firefighters are exposed to dangerous levels of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals created when commercial flame retardants burn."

"That firefighters develop cancer at an alarming rate is not news to industry professionals or scientists. But Dr. Susan Shaw, founder and director of the Marine Environmental Research Institute, said there’s still a lot to learn. Shaw and a team of other scientists recently published the results of a study on firefighters in San Francisco.

'We know that firefighters have a high rate of cancer, we know that outcome,' Shaw said in an interview Friday. 'So we’re looking for how to connect the dots. What are the chemicals that might be causing these cancers? Do the firefighters have more in their blood immediately after fighting a fire?'"

Mario Moretto reports for the Bangor Daily News May 5, 2013. [2]