2025 Public Health Laboratory Newsroom
Saunas' Impact on Firefighters’ Cancer Risks Studied by Minn. Public Health Lab

Firefighters have increased risks of contracting cancer due to their increased exposure to carcinogens emitted from burning materials. Dr. Zeke McKinney, of HealthPartners Institute, has partnered with the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory to study whether saunas can help firefighters’ bodies flush out cancer-causing toxins more effectively.

The study was funded by the St. Paul Fire Department, which enlisted its firefighters to become test subjects during and after their sauna use.  While their effect on toxin removal is still being analyzed at this writing, saunas have already proven beneficial. Firefighters say the saunas help alleviate the extreme stress of their jobs. The Minneapolis Fire Department has recently installed several saunas at their stations as well. (Read more about the Minneapolis Fire Department’s saunas in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune article Firefighters are at greater risk of cancer. Minneapolis hopes saunas in stations might help.)

Creating the study

Dr. McKinney consulted with the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory to design his study. Because there has been relatively little research on whether saunas can decrease cancer risks, they had to devise several methods.

For example, to measure the levels of toxins being expelled, researchers had to figure out the best way to collect the subjects’ urine and sweat. Dr. McKinney and Minnesota Public Health Laboratory scientists determined that they needed all of the urine each subject released for 24 hours after being in a sauna. They also went into the saunas to discover the best methods for collecting sweat in jars.

Testing for toxins

Dr. McKinney and his team led firefighters through the process of collecting their urine and sweat. They then sent the resulting samples to the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory. The lab’s scientists used a technique called gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to test the samples for metabolites of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are released into the air when substances burn. Many PAH compounds are known or suspected carcinogens.

The Minnesota Public Health Laboratory then sent data back to Dr. McKinney and his colleagues, who are analyzing the results at this writing. This is a pilot study; if it yields interesting results, more research may follow.  

The Minnesota Public Health Laboratory already has plans to monitor firefighters for exposure to PFAS by analyzing samples of their blood. There is concern that firefighters have more exposure to these compounds from a variety of sources including from their “turnout gear,” the clothes that are worn to protect them from the heat of firefighting. These studies constitute just a few of the many ways in which the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory uses its unique expertise to improve the health of people everywhere.  

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