Up to a dozen firefighters who tackled the blaze at Grenfell Tower have sadly been diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to reports.
Rescue workers who attended the scene were left in their contaminated suits for more than 10 hours while others were in a smoke-filled basement for up to six hours.
Some firefighters ran out of air and could have breathed in smoke.
Analysis carried out on the debris found there were heightened concentrations of chemicals that cause cancer and proven carcinogens within 200 metres of the tower, the paper said.
Responders were also seen outside the tower in the days after the blaze without protective kit, with some experts fearing toxins could have been even worse for people in the wake of the blaze.
A fire service source told the Mirror: “We are expecting some really depressing data to be revealed soon. It’s shocking.”
The TUC has also tweeted the data.
According to reports, the cancers are understood to be mainly digestive cancers and leukaemia.
Firefighters and survivors from the disaster have called for medical screenings as a list of rescuers who went to the west London fire in 2017 and have cancer is being drawn up.
Strokes, heart disease and kidney failure are also understood to have been recorded among the heroes – possibly due to the physical toll on their bodies during the tragedy.
Riccardo la Torre, Fire Brigades Union national official, said: “This vital research proves that firefighters are suffering and dying from cancer, strokes, heart disease, and mental ill health as a result of going to work and protecting the public.
“We now know that firefighters are exposed to health and life-threatening contaminants as a result of their occupation, and certainly would have been at an incident the size and scale of the Grenfell Tower Fire.
“However, firefighters are left in the dark due to the lack of regular health surveillance and proper monitoring of exposures in the UK.
“Due to this inaction by the government and fire bosses, the Fire Brigades Union is commissioning further research to help us demand proper protection and support for our members who attended Grenfell, and for firefighters all over the UK.”
Related: Starmer tells PM to put Northern Ireland above ‘Brexit purity cult’
