Two months after KTVU aired a report about the alarming rate of breast cancer among San Francisco firefighters, researchers began searching for answers.

The effects of firefighting residue on firefighters gear, boots and skin are unknown, but compared with other women, San Francisco female firefighters in their 40s are about 10 times more likely to develop breast cancer.

Firefighter Christina Gibbs, 41, has five kids and just scheduled her first mammogram.

"(It's) shocking to me, absolutely shocking and like, I said I'm scared, I'm scared," Gibb said.

KTVU's story alerted cancer researchers, who met with firefighters Monday, to the problem and they proposed the first ever study to identify toxic exposures.

"We need to work together to protect people that give their lives protecting us," said Sharyle Patton, of Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center.

Retired Capt Tony Stefani, of the San Francisco Fire Department, said they're hoping to get a game plan together to look at why the men and women in the fire department contracting cancers at alarming rates.

Stefani was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

David Amituanai, 55, has nose and mouth cancer.

"Treatment was gnarly for lack of a better word," Amituanai said.

Firefighter Lisa Holdcroft has breast cancer and San Francisco Fire Capt. Anita Paratley also has breast cancer.

"I'm still in that dangerous environment that I really didn't think I signed up for," Paratley said.

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said the department hadn't thought about the occupational exposures related to putting out fires before and what chemicals and toxins could enter a person's bloodstream.

Researchers said for a mere $150,000 they can get a pilot study started and they are now looking for a foundation to fund it.