A FEMA-sponsored study of firefighters aged 40 and over found that firefighters have 300% increased risk for heart disease compared to the general population. Preliminary findings also found that one-third for firefighters had cardiac issues unrelated to common risk factors such as high cholesterol. 

"Those results are astounding and point at job duties and environment as the primary determinants for early death in our country's first responders," said H. Robert Superko, MD, the study’s principal investigator.

Firefighters who participated in the year-long study underwent genetic screening, imaging analyses, and diet and exercise reviews. Researchers are expected to release the complete results of the study later this year.

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