The London Assembly’s latest report on firefighter exposure to harmful contaminants (Source: London Assembly Fire Committee 2026) adds to a growing body of evidence but it does not introduce a new problem, it confirms an existing long term one.

Firefighters are being repeatedly exposed to carcinogenic substances as part of their role. Exposure is built into the job, but that does not make it acceptable. The outcome in too many cases, is cancer. The question is no longer whether this is happening. The question is whether systems are in place to stop it.

The London Assembly Fire Committee (2026). Exposure to fire contaminants in London report, highlights that exposure is not unique to London, but that the capital’s firefighters may face higher cumulative risk due to the volume of incidents attended. Firefighters are not exposed once, they are exposed repeatedly across their careers.

If contaminants are not removed from exposed PPE correctly, exposure can occur long after an incident ends.

The report recognises the importance of PPE, procurement, and decontamination processes. This is where the issue becomes operational. PPE is designed to protect firefighters at the point of exposure. But if it is not effectively decontaminated after being worn during an incident, it retains harmful carcinogens within its layers (Source Emergency Technical Decon).

That contamination can transfer:

• into fire appliances

• into fire stations

• into clean areas

• into homes

PPE that is not decontaminated correctly becomes a continuous source of exposure and partial cleaning does not provide protection. Traditional water-based laundry methods only remove 15-40% of contaminants from PPE leaving dangerous toxins behind, (based on studies from The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health). Hunter’s Deconology® system achieves over 99% removal of harmful substances such as PAHs and PFAS, while also protecting the integrity of the garments, (based on NFPA testing).

Deconology® which uses LCO₂+ decontamination can penetrate deep into layers of complex PPE, different to traditional water-based washing systems which cannot decontaminate PPE that contains waterproof membranes, the water simply never penetrates to where toxins are embedded in the waterproof membrane. Repeated water-based washing for PPE can fatigue its moisture barriers and thermal liners, shorten service life and bring forward replacement cycles (Source Emergency technical Decon). Water based washing can create a dangerous illusion that PPE appears clean, but remains contaminated.

HunterCARE®, is our proprietary PPE lifecycle management system designed to ensure that PPE remains fit for purpose throughout its operational life,  every garment is digitally tracked from deployment through to decontamination, inspection, repair, and eventual retirement.

This creates full transparency and allows 24/7 digital access, and fire services can see exactly how many times each item of PPE has been decontaminated, how it has been handled, and whether it continues to meet performance requirements, lifecycle data is not assumed, it is evidenced.

Decontamination is a system, not a process. The London Assembly Fire Committee 2026 report references zoning, contamination control, and structured approaches within fire stations, while these are necessary steps, they only become effective when they operate as a connected system.

These are not individual actions but interdependent components that must work in collaboration to reduce exposure and protect firefighter health. This is the responsibility. Hunter exists to support fire services in delivering that system, ensuring decontamination is not left to chance, but embedded, measurable, and effective in protecting those on whom society depends.