I will give you a couple examples. I was a fireman for a large metro department for 34 years.
There was a large structure fire in a phone company building, where it turned out there were numerous transformers which had exploded, and/or leaked. The guys were wading about in water laced with PCB's. Last I heard, almost 20 years ago when I retired...eight of those firemen had died of cancer, and more were suffering.
We had a fire mechanic, one of a dozen, who used to wash parts in diesel fuel because it was easily available. He started to have trouble with his hands swelling by the end of the day. The doctor told him to wear gloves, which he did, but the swelling got worse, and he had to retire early because his hands would react to any grease.
Rick Potter
DIY journeyman,
FWW wannabe.
AKA Village Idiot.