| Summary: | Portugal is a high risk country for forest fires. In 2013 alone, Portugal forests accounted for more than 50% of the total burned area of Southern Europe. Portuguese firefighting is supported by a human force of 30.000 firefighters. Firefighters are often exposed to many toxic combustion products, including known carcinogens (benzene, vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, polychlorinated biphenyls, particulate matter). IARC classifies firefighting (or occupational exposure as firefighters) as possible carcinogenic to humans (Group 2b). Epidemiological studies suggest that firefighters have an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and various types of cancer. Biomonitoring data are limited, inconsistent and inconclusive. Genotoxicity evaluation is a valuable tool for studying the most important occupational hazards allowing a reasonable epidemiological evaluation of cancer prediction. The aim of this study was to evaluate DNA damage, total and oxidative, in Portuguese wildland firefighters when compared with the general population.
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