A Health Hazard Evaluation of Antimony Exposure in Fire Fighters

Details

• Personal Author:
  Caldwell KL ; De Perio, Marie A. ; Durgam, Srinivas ; Eisenberg, Judith S.
• Description:
  Objectives: Some firefighter station uniforms contain the flame-retardant, antimony trioxide. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigated a possible outbreak of antimony toxicity wherein 30 firefighters reported elevated antimony levels on hair analyses. Methods: We surveyed and collected urine samples from firefighters not wearing (Fire Department A) and wearing (Fire Department B) antimony-containing pants. Urine antimony concentrations were measured and adjusted for creatinine. Results: All 20 participating firefighters from Fire Department A and 41 (97.6%) of 42 participating firefighters from Fire Department B had urine antimony concentrations below or within the national reference range. No differences in urine antimony levels between departments were detected. Conclusions: Wearing antimony-containing uniforms does not pose a risk for antimony toxicity. This investigation highlights the importance of using validated methods for toxicity determination and of accurate, timely risk communication. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Firefighters Fires Flame Retardants Metals, Heavy Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting-equipment Fire-protection-equipment Flame-retardants Heavy-metals
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; 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:
  81-84
• Volume:
  52
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036268
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2010 Jan; 52(1):81-84
• Contact Point Address:
  Marie A. de Perio, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch, 4676 Columbia Pkwy, R-10, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  Mdeperio@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Antimony (CAS RN 7440-36-0) ; Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:33cd5bae2ca5550cd44ecac06a27cf29349bdad80b8415452b2bbfb7eb3b4e3f90e14914c77c2b587821884f42482234f32368921a46b1adb8264891c5df8c5c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187753/cdc_187753_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 130.67 KB ]