Firefighters on duty who are more likely to be exposed to potentially harmful chemicals

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.August 20, 2020

A new study from Oregon State University suggests that firefighters are more likely to be exposed to potentially harmful chemicals while on duty compared to after hours.

Firefighters on duty in the Kansas City, Missouri area experienced higher exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a family of chemicals known to cause cancer, or PAH. They were also exposed to 18 PAHs that were not previously reported as extinguishing exposures in previous studies.

Research funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency is published in the journal Environment International.

The results are significant, as Kim Anderson, an environmental chemist and extension specialist at OSU’s Faculty of Agriculture, said earlier studies have shown that firefighters are at increased risk of causing cancer and other adverse health effects.

PAHs are a large group of compounds containing carbon and other elements. They form naturally after almost every kind of combustion produced by nature and humans. In addition to burning wood, plants and tobacco, PAH is also found in fossil fuels.

There are not enough data to profile the cause of PAH, but PAH has been found to emerge from combustion, and combustion is clearly its job. They also have a large amount of protective equipment with PAHs and use cleaning agents with PAHs. “

Kim Anderson, Environmental Chemist and Extension Specialist, Faculty of Agriculture, OSU

The firefighters in the survey wore a personal passive sampler in the form of a silicone military-style dog tag on an elastic necklace. The tags are made of the same material as OSU’s patented silicone wristband, which Anderson’s lab has used for years to study human and cat exposure to chemicals.

The study shows that dog tags that absorb chemicals from the air and skin appear to be a reliable sampling technique needed to assess firefighter chemical exposure, Anderson said. Said.

“I’m sure those exposures were there, but you certainly don’t know without something to help you find them,” Anderson said. “It turns out that it’s more than people thought it would be.”

For the study, researchers sampled individual firefighter exposures in two departments, the Raytown Fire Department and the Southern Platte Fire Department. They defined the Raytown division as a “high call count”, with historically an average of 12 firecalls per month, and the Southern Platt division defined as “low call count”. Fewer than two monthly calls.

After completing a survey on demographics, occupational history, and current suspicions of exposure, hired firefighters wore dog tags on the next 30 shift days and shift days. When firing, the tag was worn under gear, not over clothing. Firefighters were instructed to wear dog tags continuously during all normal activities, including eating, showering and sleeping. Sampling was done from November 2018 to April 2019.

When they analyzed the dog tags returned to the Anderson lab in Oregon, they found 45 unique PAHs, 18 of which had not been previously reported as fire exposure. Exposure to PAHs increased as the number of fires attended by participants increased. Not only was the PAH concentration higher during work hours than during non-business hours, but it was also higher in departments with high call volumes than in departments with low call volumes.

According to Anderson, each participating firefighter is provided with basic health information and reports on chemical exposures. Participants also received a fact sheet about firefighter and cancer risks. The fact sheet contains some simple steps that firefighters can take to reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals. For example, always wear personal protective equipment, take a shower after each fire before ending your shift, and clean your gear after each fire.