NY Daily News - July 29, 2011
by Bill Romaka, Uniformed Firefighters AssociationManhattan: Re the July 27 editorial "Caution on cancer": The problem with waiting for medical evidence is that too many firefighters will have succumbed to cancer before a "scientific" study will show such.
The "science" is based on the New York State Tumor Registry, which is always two to three years behind before its data are released. Meantime, this year, we've had four firefighters diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and one with leukemia in a three-week period.
"Science" won't count this obvious significance for at least three years. "Science" has become a convenient excuse for the city and federal governments to hide behind to limit the resources that would provide a little dignity to our sick and dying firefighters and their families.
There is no politician and no significant doctor willing to make the leap of faith necessary to take proper care of our documented most exposed responders. This is the shame of "science" when it is used incorrectly to make policy decisions.
Bill Romaka, Uniformed Firefighters Association
