Hundreds St. Johns County firefighters received specialty hoods Saturday that could reduce their risk of developing cancer.
A charity called Hoods For Heroes (HFH) donated $40,000 worth of specialty hoods to more than 330 firefighters in St. Johns County and St. Augustine to provide a more effective barrier against cancer-causing chemicals.
The chemicals can be absorbed into the skin during a fire, particularly in the head and neck area where the skin is thinnest, according to HFH.
The organization says firefighters are at a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer when compared to the general population.
Firefighters are also 2.02 times a higher risk for testicular cancer and 1.53 times at greater risk for multiple myeloma, according to the National Institute of Science and Health.