Bordeaux (AFP) – “We are the next asbestos”: the devastating fires of the summer have once again illustrated the exposure of firefighters to toxic fumes from forest fires, a blind spot in their protection from the risks of the profession.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 08:56

The retirement fund for territorial civil servants (CNRACL), on which the profession depends, which has been holding its congress in Annecy since Wednesday, emphasized in 2017 that "exposure to irritating substances" generates "a reduction in pulmonary function and the development of chronic pulmonary diseases".

ANSES, in a report published in June, confirmed "a deleterious effect of smoke episodes on short-term non-accidental mortality", but also "respiratory symptoms (cough, irritation, shortness of breath)", generally "reversible" but which can persist "up to 2-3 years later".

Guillaume Vasselin, a firefighter for 30 years, developed “an asthmatic state with disabling coughs four months” after the Gironde megafires of 2022.

The following winter, he was declared "operationally unfit" but it was not until April 2023 that a pulmonologist "finally made the link with exposure to smoke", he told AFP. The same year, he filed a file for recognition of occupational disease and has not returned to work since.

“I am fighting for this cause,” says the ex-professional who denounces “a future scandal similar to that of asbestos”.

The CNRACL report also mentioned excess cancer mortality among firefighters, particularly linked to involuntary inhalations of retardant products, recognized as carcinogenic and reprotoxic substances.

Lack of studies

Chief Sergeant Cédric Duivon, part-time in Haute-Garonne since he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2023, deplores "the little progress" in taking into account the health of firefighters. If he was “very supported” by his hierarchy, colleagues from other departments are “a little left to their own devices” in the face of the illness.

“There need to be 300,000 firefighters on the ground to realize the problem or are we taking the issue head on?” he asks.

PS senator from Haute-Garonne Émilienne Poumirol, former president of the board of directors of Sdis 31 and author of a report on occupational cancers among firefighters, deplores the absence of an epidemiological study in France on the "impact of the toxicity of smoke" on their health, although documented in Anglo-Saxon countries.

Sébastien Dephot, representative of an independent union among Gironde firefighters, underlines that in 2026, "in three or four days in Gironde, the quantity of material burned has exceeded all the figures for 2022".

During the megafire which covered 42,000 hectares, he saw colleagues having "small vomits" and getting back into their truck, probable victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, also manifested by headaches, dizziness or nausea.

Poisoning by microparticles or fine particles may occur later. "For two days, when I blow my nose, it's all black. If we have soot in our nose, we also have it in our lungs, in our bronchi, everywhere," thunders Guillaume Millet, CFDT delegate at Sdis 33.

Sébastien Dephot also regrets a "taboo": firefighters often prefer to keep quiet about their symptoms for fear of being declared unfit.

Masks and hoods

During the Gironde megafire, the firefighters put on their fire hoods over an FFP2 mask, a pileup that quickly became "unbreathable": "When you have to unroll hoses two meters from the flames, it's not possible," points out the unionist.

“Is it normal to go to the fire with an FFP2 mask? It’s paper!”, adds Guillaume Millet.

This protection is "perfectable", recognizes Marc Vermeulen, who directs Sdis 33. He nevertheless considers it preferable to a new filtering hood which offers better respiratory protection but presents a "risk of heat stroke just as serious as inhaling the fumes".

Many firefighters consider it unsuitable and in the South-West, "no Sdis" has adopted this equipment, even though it has been on the market for two years, indicates Colonel Arnaud Fabre, boss of the Landes firefighters.

A recent parliamentary mission recommends "a national envelope" to finance the medical monitoring of firefighters but also "epidemiological studies and research and development on respiratory protection, clothing, decontamination and individual sensors".

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© 2026 AFP

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