Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-84-484-1754: Detroit fire fighters; Detroit, Michigan

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson, Kern E. ; Melius, James M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the International Association of Fire Fighters on behalf of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association, Detroit, Michigan, a health hazard evaluation was made of respiratory symptoms and skin irritation in fire fighters involved in a large fire and explosion at a warehouse. Over 200 fire fighters from firefighting organizations (SIC-9224) in three communities were involved in the incident. Environmental samples were collected subsequent to the fire and analyzed for pesticides and solvents. The final group evaluated comprised 135 males. The survey, done 2 months after the fire, involved a self-administered medical questionnaire and spirometry pulmonary function tests. Site runoff water contained chlordane (57749) and malathion (121755) in low parts per million
  
  other samples were negative. Nose and throat irritation, cough, and shortness of breath were experienced by a large proportion of fire fighters following the fire, and in 14, 15, and 17 percent, respectively, symptoms persisted over 2 months. Symptoms were significantly associated with time spent at the scene and time spent in heavy smoke. Pulmonary function tests were abnormal in 14 cases, ten due to obstructive lung disease, three to restrictive lung disease, and one to a combination. The authors conclude that better protective equipment is needed for fire fighters at chemical fires. Recommendations include development of a hazardous materials response team, and implementation of a routine medical surveillance program.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Firefighters Fires Irritants Lung Occupational Health Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory System Safety Skin Smoke
• Keywords:
  Chemical Fires Clinical-symptoms Fire-fighting Fire Fighters Firemen Fire Protection Hazard-Confirmed HETA-84-484-1754 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Organic-chemicals OSHA Region 5 Pulmonary-function-tests Respiratory-irritants Skin-irritants Smoke-inhalation Smoke Inhalation

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA844841754
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  17 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Ehrenberg, Richard ; Coleman, Marion ; Collins, James
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00167880
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB87-188785
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 84-484-1754, 1986 Dec ; :1-15
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlordane (CAS RN 57-74-9) ; Malathion (CAS RN 121-75-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1987
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  9224 - Fire protection - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:431bc57c528986df64746851adaac61d9f1ef335e254de66ddf98c38ff7d73792fff2c8c2a810f0aada104a51f04a225f875cc5fc5c307b511b535599303ed7e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172131/cdc_172131_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.57 MB ]