As I mentioned earlier, products of combustion include a number of things. There are aerosols; particulates, a lot of which gather chemicals that attach to them; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, many of which are recognized by IARC to be known human carcinogens. There are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as the phthalates and bisphenols that interrupt the systems regulated through hormones in the body. I mentioned PFAS chemicals. Those are perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are found both in home constituents and in the equipment that firefighters have: in AFFF and our PPE. It's a whole host of chemicals. It's a toxic soup. As building constituents advance and new products become available, it changes the types of exposure firefighters have.
I mentioned the urinary PAH metabolites, and what is important to note is that before they get in the urine, they have to be filtered out of your blood. These chemicals that are being absorbed in the skin or inhaled are circulating systemically. That's why a lot of these cancers can be found in different areas of the body: the brain, the colon, the prostate, the ovaries and the lungs.
As I mentioned—and I don't mean to repeat myself—the deck is stacked against us. We need those preventative and awareness measures to be in place.
To some of the comments earlier with respect to cost, we have to be cognizant of fire departments that have.... In our association, locals have five members or 5,000. In Ontario alone, I know that if every fatal firefighter cancer had been survivable because of early detection or prevention, it would have saved this province $349 million. That's money that employers pay and that municipalities and townships pay. Beyond the human cost, we can't afford not to have this bill move fast and hopefully pass shortly.