Almost every fire station in St. Paul will soon have its own sauna, and researchers will jump on the opportunity to collect some firefighter sweat.
Once the infrared saunas are installed, experts hope to collect at least 30 sweat samples to test them for carcinogens.
âThis study will be completely novel, as no one has looked for carcinogens in sweat in this way,â said Dr. Zeke McKinney, an affiliate professor at the University of Minnesota and HealthPartners researcher, addressing the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday.
âFirefighters have an increased risk of all cancers compared to the general population, as well as very specific cancers,â he said.
