HB 2161 Summary

• Amends Arizona law to create presumptions that certain cancers are occupational diseases for firefighters and peace officers, including brain, bladder, rectal, colon cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, adenocarcinoma, and mesothelioma of the respiratory tract.

• Expands the list of presumed occupational cancers for firefighters to include buccal cavity and pharynx, esophagus, large intestine, lung, kidney, prostate, skin, stomach, testicular cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and malignant melanoma.

• Requires that to qualify for the presumption, the firefighter or peace officer must have passed a pre-employment physical examination without evidence of cancer, worked in hazardous duty for at least five years, and been exposed to a known carcinogen as defined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

• Applies the presumption only to those diagnosed with cancer not more than 15 years after their last date of employment and who are 65 years of age or younger.

• Allows the presumption to be rebutted by a preponderance of evidence showing a specific non-occupational cause of the cancer, and excludes respiratory tract cancers if tobacco or cigarette exposure outside of official duties was a substantial contributing cause.