Occupational lung diseases make up a small portion of workers’ comp claims, but they can incur significant costs as these diseases are often present for life, developing over the course of years and progressing slowly, requiring life-long monitoring, treatment, and medication, leading to high costs and significant claim complexity.
While these types of claims have been present in workers’ comp for decades, in recent years, increased wildfire activity has brought greater attention to occupational lung diseases, particularly among firefighters.
According to NASA, climate change has amplified wildfire activity, with extreme wildfires becoming larger, more intense, and more frequent. Hotter weather, the earlier melting of snow, warmer nighttime temperatures, and a decrease in rainfall have led to fire seasons that are a month longer than ever before.
Approximately 64,987 wildfires were reported in 2024 by the National Interagency Fire Center, a significant increase from 56,580 in 2023. The Palisades Wildfires alone resulted in 122 workers’ comp claims, 80% of which were for respiratory-related injuries.
And while the conversation surrounding occupational lung diseases may have grown larger due to increased wildfire activity, it is important to understand how other industries see higher rates of lung diseases due to occupational exposure to various particles, fumes, vapors, and other exposures.
Expanding Presumption in the Future?
Many states have expanded cancer presumptions for firefighters, particularly lung cancer. However, there is significant diversity in which jurisdictions consider different occupational lung diseases compensable – both within firefighter populations and beyond. Regardless, legislatures across the country continue to introduce bills that could potentially expand various workers’ comp presumptions.
Cost and Claim Impacts of Occupational Lung Diseases
Occupational lung diseases – regardless of which occupation they originate from – can drive up costs in workers’ comp claims, as these conditions are typically chronic, can involve long-term medical treatment that potentially includes high-cost therapies, and often result in higher claim severity compared to acute injuries. While there’s limited data about the financial impact of lung disease specific to workers’ comp, the overall medical cost of all respiratory diseases annually in the U.S. is $170.8 billion.
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