Notes from the Field: Serum Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Among First Responders to the Maui Wildfires – Hawaii, September 2023

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beaucham, Catherine C. ; Chiu SK ; Estill, Cheryl F. ; Fent K ; Mayer A ; Rinsky, Jessica L. ; Somerville, Nicholas ; Zeiler R
• Description:
  What is already known about this topic? Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), present in some firefighting foams and routine firefighting activities, can increase the risk for occupational PFAS exposure among firefighters and are associated with cancer and other adverse health outcomes. What is added by this report? Median summed concentrations of selected PFAS among Maui County, Hawaii employees approximately 1 month after the 2023 Maui wildfires were higher among firefighters than among other responder groups. Sources other than the wildfires could have contributed to the levels. What are the implications for public health practice? Further research is needed to better understand the occupational risk among groups responding to wildfire disasters. Rostering responders, tracking response activities and personal protective equipment use, and monitoring health could improve the understanding of chemical exposures and guide prevention strategies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Firefighters Fires Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Wildfires
• Keywords:
  Disaster Response Fire Fighters First Responders Occupational Exposure Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances PFAS
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Tables
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Ohio
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  35-39
• Volume:
  74
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070490
• Citation:
  MMWR 2025 Feb; 74(3):35-39
• Email:
  cbeaucham@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c19eb88c479e663f59fb167b1c86e6071f8741a48101a92802d54f2b0ebc7c409a5ace87370b6e1114761b26002e3ab96087711591978801db960ce952fc6938
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183206/cdc_183206_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 322.18 KB ]