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An investigation by The Mirror has revealed that several firefighters who battled the fatal Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, have developed rare cancers linked to prolonged exposure to pollutants. The report says that around a dozen firefighters who fought to control the blaze have since been diagnosed with cancer. The research was commissioned by the Fire Brigades' Union and the University of Central Lancashire.

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However, according to experts, there could be more than 20 cases linked to the blaze, which killed 72 residents, and was the worst blaze witnessed by Britain in a generation.

The newspaper reported, quoting fire service sources, that some of the Grenfell firefighters who have been diagnosed with cancer are only in their 40s. Most of them have digestive cancers and leukaemia. Other illnesses have also been recorded and they include kidney failure, heart disease and strokes.

Also Read | Tiles, insulation & fridge freezer blamed for Grenfell blaze

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Experts have blamed "high levels of unprecedented exposure to contaminants" during the firefight for the diagnoses. Officials are working to collate a list of firefighters who worked to put out the Grenfell blaze and have since been diagnosed with cancer. 

People in the know believe that this might just be the tip of the iceberg and "shocking" data might soon be disclosed since some cancers can take up to 25 years to appear.

Around 1,300 firefighters attended to the Grenfell tragedy. Many of them ran out of air and had to sit in contaminated suits for over 10 hours, while waiting in a basement full of smoke for up to six hours. 

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They could even be seen eating and drinking in soot-covered protective clothing, something experts believe can lead to digestive cancer. Many of them doused hotspots in the aftermath without any protective gear and were exposed to toxins that were at that point "even more dangerous".

"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," Riccardo la Torre, Fire Brigades Union national official, told The Mirror.

"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."

He informed that the union is commissioning more research to get proper help and support not only for firefighters who attended Grenfell, but also for other crews in the UK. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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