Objectives: To determine if one cohort of paid firefighters and one cohort of paid police officers from the four largest municipalities in New Jersey demonstrated a greater incidence of cancer than the U.S. General Population.

Methods: Four cohorts of paid firefighters and four cohorts of paid police officers, were identified through the NJ Police and Firefighters Retirement System records, (PFRS), and sent to the New Jersey State Cancer Registry for linkage. The information included employment start and end dates, year of birth and death, age at time of diagnosis and ICD-O-3 Diagnostic Code. Standard Incidence Ratios (SIRs) were calculated for each cancer for both cohorts utilizing the Life Table Analysis System (LTAS) developed by the National Institutes of Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Results: The Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIR) for firefighters reflects an excess of eye cancer, 3.80 times greater than the U.S. General Population, SIR = 3.80; (95% CI, 1.53, 7.82). This is a statistically significant excess of Eye Cancer, and when compared to the U.S. General Population, whereas police officers did not demonstrate an excess of Eye Cancer.

Conclusions: The SIR for All Cancers for both firefighters and police officers was below the expected number of cancers demonstrating that New Jersey firefighters and police officers do not have an excess incidence of cancer when compared to the General Population in the United States.