NIOSH eNews - June 2026

[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

The Monthly Newsletter of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Volume 24 Number 2, June 2026

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From the Director's Desk John Howard, M.D., Director, NIOSH

50,000 Firefighters Strong and Counting

50,000 strong and growing—together we’re advancing firefighter health and cancer research.  Fifty thousand. That's how many firefighters have joined the NIOSH National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer. Each one has contributed data that bring us closer to understanding and reducing cancer in the fire service.  The fire service has shown up for the NFR in a remarkable way. Just last September, the NFR surpassed 30,000 firefighters to become the largest group ever assembled to study cancer in the fire service, and momentum has not stopped. Along the way, over 165 fire departments have earned Gold Helmet status. This means at least 50% of a department's active firefighters, or more than 300 active firefighters, are enrolled in the NFR. These departments, located in over 32 states, vary in size from small rural volunteer companies to large urban career departments. In addition, 35 organizations have been recognized as NFR Champions, actively encouraging firefighters to join.

Read More Research Rounds

Parental Nonstandard Work Schedule and Children's Educational Outcomes By Abay Asfaw, NIOSH Why is this study important? Nonstandard schedules outside 6 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Friday seem to be here to stay. In the United States, nearly 24 million workers had nonstandard schedules in 2017–2018. These schedules are often unpredictable and variable, involve long hours, and offer little job security. For workers, this may mean having little chance to plan their hours in advance and needing to be available on short notice. How did you do the study? We used responses from more than 28,000 households collected during 2014–2017 and 2018–2022 as part of the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation. The survey included questions about income, government assistance, employment, and children's educational performance. We estimated how parents' nonstandard schedules affect three indicators of educational performance for children 6–17 years old: (1) being in academically gifted classes, (2) repeating a grade, and (3) being suspended, excluded, or expelled from school.

Read More

Highlights

Wildfire Safety and Health Resources NIOSH has guidance for employers on How to Protect Workers and the Public From Wildfire Smoke, and tips for the general public. It also explains how to choose and properly use a respirator. NIOSH also has information for wildland firefighters and wildfire cleanup workers who face unique safety and health hazards. In addition, the Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance framework provides recommendations for protecting emergency response and recovery workers. Safe-in-Sound Award Nominations Now Open Nominations are open for the 2027 Safe-in-Sound Awards through August 19. These awards recognize exceptional achievements in workplace hearing loss prevention across the United States and Canada. These awards are sponsored by NIOSH, the National Hearing Conservation Association, and the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation. Increasing Awareness of WTC Health Program Benefits for Young Adult 9/11 Survivors The NIOSH World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program recently launched a video series to reach young adult survivors (ages 24-45) of 9/11. Currently less than 3% of members in the Program are in this age group. However, tens of thousands may be eligible to receive benefits—many of whom could be experiencing asthma, PTSD, cancer, or other illnesses linked to their 9/11 exposures. Please share this information to help us spread the word. NIOSH NFR for Cancer Video Wins Gold Telly Award! This video, Tell Us About Your Fire Service | Join the NIOSH NFR for Cancer, is a Gold Telly Award winner! The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens. Produced for NIOSH by RTI International, the video features firefighters from the Orange County Fire Authority. This honor shows how clear storytelling can increase awareness of firefighter cancer risks and encourage enrollment in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer. Please share this award-winning video with the firefighters you know!

Monthly Features

This monthly e-newsletter is published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to inform members of the occupational safety and health community, including partners, employers, workers, and other stakeholders, of NIOSH-related news, new publications, and updates on programs, research, and initiatives.

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