COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's workers compensation agency is increasing its financial effort to help protect firefighters from carcinogens they face on the job.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation announced a new plan Tuesday that will provide $2.7 million in grants to fire departments, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
The bureau awarded $2 million in grants earlier this fiscal year. Bureau officials received over 200 applications for new equipment, advanced gear and better fire stations.
Firefighters are exposed to toxic chemicals released into the air by burning buildings and vehicles.
According to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study, firefighters are twice as likely to get skin and testicular cancer and mesothelioma.
