Photo by Steve Baer | FireDog Photos

I devoted my career to protecting the public, as a detective with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, never thinking that doing my job would someday cost me my health. While investigating an environmental crime scene, I was unknowingly exposed to potassium cyanide, a potent neurotoxin. Years later, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Sadly, I’m not alone.

Across the country, first responders — firefighters, police officers, and EMTs — are being silently exposed to hazardous chemicals in the line of duty. Whether through chronic, low-level exposure over the years or a single acute toxic incident, these exposures are taking a serious toll. Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, and various cancers are appearing in responders who were simply doing their jobs.

Exposure can happen in several ways. The most common routes are:

  • Inhalation: breathing in fumes, gases, or particulates
  • Ingestion: swallowing toxins transferred from contaminated hands, gear, or food
  • Absorption: chemicals passing through the skin from contact with contaminated materials
  • Injection: toxins entering through punctures or needlesticks

These types of exposure can occur at any scene — fires filled with burning plastics, chemical spills, industrial accidents, or meth labs. Firefighters often wear SCBA gear, as they have about four breaths of toxic smoke exposure before becoming fatal in 50% of cases. But what about the police officer securing the perimeter, the detectives collecting evidence, or the EMT standing by without protection? We assume we’re safe. We’re not. The saying goes, “If you can smell the chemical or smoke, it is already too late — you’ve been exposed.”

Far too many first responders are sent into hazardous environments with little or no training in toxic exposure and without the appropriate protective equipment. This has to change. All first responders — regardless of their agency — should receive hazardous materials training and personal protective equipment from the outset of their careers. Protection should not depend on your job title.

Secondhand Exposure

Contamination doesn’t end at the scene. Toxins cling to uniforms, boots, gear, and vehicle interiors and follow us home. Our families are unknowingly exposed through secondhand contamination. A toxic uniform in a laundry basket or a contaminated seat in a patrol car can become a source of long-term harm. This isn’t just a personal risk, it’s a family health crisis.

Over the years, I’ve connected with fellow responders across the country who have also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after toxic exposures on the job — firefighters, medics, police officers, and environmental investigators. Some are still fighting. Some have already passed. Too many never realized their service may have caused their illness.

No U.S. state currently provides presumptive disability coverage for Parkinson’s disease for all first responders. Only New York and Indiana have such laws, which apply only to firefighters. Thousands of police, EMS, and other personnel are left unprotected by the very system they served.

The Gap in Protection

We must change that. Parkinson’s disease should be added to the presumptive disability definition for all first responders in all 50 states. These laws shift the burden of proof away from the responder and recognize that occupational exposure can lead to severe disease, even years later.

I strongly support my state’s bill, New Jersey S3259, which would take a necessary step toward recognizing the true cost of public safety work. We owe it to our responders to provide medical and financial support, not after a legal battle but automatically, as a matter of justice.

Too many first responders are suffering in silence. How many have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, ALS, or cancer and never connected it to a toxic scene from years ago? These diseases don’t come with timestamps. We will never have accurate data until we acknowledge the real risks of the job.

A Call for Change

To legislators: I urge you to act. Support presumptive coverage for Parkinson’s and other toxic-exposure-related illnesses for all first responders.

To my fellow responders: Share your story. Protect your health. Demand the training and gear that could save your life.

It’s too late for me. But it’s not too late for someone else. I didn’t develop Parkinson’s disease in vain — but we need to make sure no one else has to suffer in silence.