Firefighters from Station 31 in Northgate have been relocated to other firehouses after concerns that the station is making firefighters sick.
Suspicions about Station 31 have evolved after many firefighters who worked there were diagnosed with cancer. And now, after preliminary findings from environmental studies of the station, firefighters have been temporarily relocated to other stations, including Crown Hill, theSeattle Times reports.
Studies initiated by Local 27, the Seattle firefighters union, found there may be mycotoxins, caused by certain molds, present in Station 31.
The station has been tested before, but the tests have only been to investigate mold. This is the first time the station has been tested for mycotoxins.
While tests are underway, firefighters will be relocated to other stations including Crown Hill, Bitter Lake, Lake City, and the University District.
Another study is looking at whether Station 31 firefighters were getting cancer at higher rates than other stations. Scientists from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research are heading up the investigation, which began last year and should have results his summer.