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Is firefighter mesothelioma covered in your state?

12 states name mesothelioma in their firefighter cancer law, and 18 more presume it came from the job when it is linked to what you were exposed to.

Check mesothelioma in your state

Named in state law
12 states
the law lists it by name
If linked to the job
18 more states
a presumption for cancers tied to an exposure
Federal firefighters
Named
after 5 years of service
Research (IARC, 2022)
Caused by firefighting
one of the two cancers it found firefighting causes

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

Which states presume mesothelioma for firefighters?

States that name mesothelioma (12)

Presumed when linked to your work (18)

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

Another rule or not covered (20)

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

Call about mesothelioma

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

Mesothelioma 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). Mesothelioma is one of only two cancers it found firefighting causes, on its strongest level of evidence.

NIOSH found firefighters had twice the mesothelioma rate of the U.S. population, the first U.S. study to show it (NIOSH, 2013). It names asbestos met on the job as the most likely reason (NIOSH, 2014).

How do you file a firefighter mesothelioma claim?

  1. Get the diagnosis in writing: the type of mesothelioma 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 mesothelioma, 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.

Mesothelioma 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.