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Is firefighter colon cancer covered in your state?

25 states name colon cancer in their firefighter cancer law, and 13 more presume it came from the job when it is linked to what you were exposed to.

Check colon cancer in your state

Named in state law
25 states
the law lists it by name
If linked to the job
13 more states
a presumption for cancers tied to an exposure
Federal firefighters
Named
after 5 years of service
Research (IARC, 2022)
Limited evidence
a likely link, not yet proven

Sources: each state's law, linked on its page; 5 U.S.C. § 8143b for federal firefighters; IARC Monographs volume 132.

Which states presume colon cancer for firefighters?

States that name colon cancer (25)

Presumed when linked to your work (13)

The law covers any cancer tied to a job exposure, so your claim has to show the link.

A cancer benefit instead of a presumption (4)

Your department carries insurance that pays a set benefit for colon cancer. A workers' comp claim is separate.

Another rule or not covered (8)

Colon cancer is not presumed here; the state page says what the law does cover.

Call about colon cancer

Questions about your diagnosis, your service or your deadline go to the claims line: +1 833 853 0496

Colon cancer and firefighting: what the research says

In June 2022 the World Health Organization's cancer agency rated firefighting itself as a cause of cancer in people, its top rating (IARC Monographs volume 132). For colon cancer it found limited evidence: a likely link that is not yet proven.

In the NIOSH study of career firefighters, the extra cancers were mainly digestive (the esophagus, the intestine, the colon and rectum), breathing, urinary and mouth cancers (NIOSH firefighter registry).

How do you file a firefighter colon cancer claim?

  1. Get the diagnosis in writing: the type of colon cancer and the date it was found.
  2. Open your state's page above for the claims board, the claim form and the time limits for telling your department and for filing.
  3. If your state names colon cancer, say so on the claim and name the law. If it does not, ask your doctor for a signed note saying your work caused it.

Colon cancer is not one of the six illnesses in the firefighting foam lawsuit (MDL 2873), so the AFFF cases do not cover it. Federal firefighters and 9/11 responders have their own programs: the federal presumption and the 9/11 health and compensation programs.