EV Fires Expose Firefighters to Elevated Cancer Risks
MONDAY, March 3, 2025 – New research is drawing attention to a concerning health threat for firefighters: the increased cancer risk associated with electric vehicle (EV) fires.
Researchers at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that EV fires expose firefighters, vehicle owners, and nearby community members to dangerous heavy metals. These findings underscore the unique challenges and health hazards presented by the growing prevalence of EVs.
“While all fires pose exposure risks, EV fires elevate the risk to firefighters, owners, and the nearby community because they are powered by massive batteries containing high concentrations of heavy metals,” explained Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez, deputy director of Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI). “Many of these metals are associated with increased cancer risk due to their potential to cause DNA damage, oxidative stress, and genetic alterations.”
The batteries used in EVs contain several metals that are known carcinogens, including:
- Arsenic: Linked to lung, bladder, skin, liver, and kidney cancers
- Cadmium: Linked to lung, prostate, kidney, pancreatic, and breast cancers
- Chromium: Linked to lung, nasal, and sinus cancers
- Nickel: Linked to lung, nasal, and laryngeal cancers
- Lead: Linked to brain, kidney, stomach, and lung cancers
Notably, firefighters already face a heightened risk of cancer. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters have a 9% higher risk of developing cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer compared to the general population.
In response to these escalating risks, Sylvester launched its firefighter cancer program in 2015. As Erin Kobetz, director and principal investigator of the FCI, stated, “There’s a recognition at Sylvester that we have the scientific and clinical expertise, and firefighters have the day-to-day occupational expertise. If we want to ask the right questions and get the best answers, we need to incorporate their perspectives and insights into what we do. That partnership is saving lives, and it will continue to save lives.”
As part of the first-ever case study focused on EV fires, researchers conducted a controlled EV fire to monitor air and environmental contamination. The study revealed several critical differences between EV fires and conventional vehicle fires:
- EV battery fires burn at much higher temperatures.
- Exploding EV batteries can launch projectiles up to 40 feet.
- Extinguishing an EV fire can require up to 30,000 gallons of water, compared to approximately 750 gallons for a typical car fire.
- Levels of cancer-causing chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), increased in the ground surrounding the vehicle after the fire.
Based on these findings, the researchers emphasized the importance of thorough decontamination efforts following EV fires. These measures are crucial to reduce the cancer risk to firefighters and anyone in the vicinity of the fire.
“If we do our research correctly in line with our mission,” Caban-Martinez concluded, “We can reduce the cancer burden for current and future firefighters and the communities they serve.”
For additional information on carcinogens, the National Human Genome Research Institute provides relevant resources.
Source: Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, news release, Feb. 27, 2025
