MONDAY, March 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — As electric vehicles (EVs) become increasingly popular, a new study reveals significant health risks associated with their fires, especially for firefighters.
Researchers at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered that EV fires expose firefighters, car owners, and nearby residents to dangerous heavy metals. The core issue lies in the batteries powering these vehicles.
“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.”
EV batteries contain several metals linked to cancer:
- Arsenic: Connected to lung, bladder, skin, liver, and kidney cancers.
- Cadmium: Linked to lung, prostate, kidney, pancreatic, and breast cancers.
- Chromium: Associated with lung, nasal, and sinus cancers.
- Nickel: Connected to lung, nasal, and laryngeal cancers.
- Lead: Linked to brain, kidney, stomach, and lung cancers.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that firefighters already face a 9% higher risk of developing cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from it compared to the general population.
In response to these elevated risks, Sylvester launched its firefighter cancer program in 2015. Erin Kobetz, director and principal investigator of the FCI, highlighted the importance of the collaboration between researchers and firefighters. “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,” Kobetz stated.
As part of the inaugural case study on EV fires, researchers conducted a controlled EV fire to assess air and environmental contamination, discovering:
- EV battery fires burn much hotter than traditional car fires.
- Exploding EV batteries can launch projectiles up to 40 feet.
- Extinguishing an EV fire can require as much as 30,000 gallons of water, while a typical car fire needs around 750 gallons.
- The levels of cancer-causing chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), increased in the ground surrounding the vehicle after the fire.
Researchers emphasized the importance of decontamination after EV fires to reduce exposure and subsequent cancer risk. Caban-Martinez said, “If we do our research correctly in line with our mission, we can reduce the cancer burden for current and future firefighters and the communities they serve.”
For more information, visit the National Human Genome Research Institute, which has more on carcinogens.
