Adverse Respiratory Effects Following Overhaul in Firefighters

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bernard AM ; Bolstad-Johnson DM ; Burgess JL ; Crutchfield CD ; Gerkin R ; Hysong TA ; Lantz RC ; Nanson CJ ; Quan SF ; Sherrill DL ; Witten ML
• Description:
  Overhaul is the stage in which firefighters search for and extinguish possible sources of reignition. It is common practice not to wear respiratory protection during overhaul. Fifty-one firefighters in two groups, 25 without respiratory protection and 26 wearing cartridge respirators, were monitored for exposure to products of combustion and changes in spirometric measurements and lung permeability following overhaul of a structural fire. Testing at baseline and 1 hour after overhaul included forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), serum Clara cell protein (CC16), and serum surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A). Overhaul increased CC16 in both groups, indicating increased alveolarcapillary membrane permeability. Contrary to expectations, SP-A increased and FVC and FEV1 decreased in the firefighters wearing cartridge respirators. Changes in FEV1, CC16, and SP-A were associated with concentrations of specific products of combustion or carboxyhemoglobin levels. Firefighter exposures during overhaul have the potential to cause changes in spirometric measurements and lung permeability, and self-contained breathing apparatus should be worn during overhaul to prevent lung injury. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aldehydes Benzene Cyanides Dust Firefighters Formaldehyde Hydrocarbons Lung Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Toluene Xylenes

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• Keywords:
  Benzenes Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Lung-disorders Occupational-exposure Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Polynuclear-aromatic-hydrocarbons Respirable-dust Respirators Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory-system-disorders Toluenes

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  467-473
• Volume:
  43
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20024413
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2001 May; 43(5):467-473
• Contact Point Address:
  Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Arizona College of Public Health, 1435 North Fremont, Box 210468, Tucson, AZ 85719-4197, USA
• Email:
  jburgess@u.arizona.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2) ; Ethylbenzene (CAS RN 100-41-4) ; Glutaraldehyde (CAS RN 111-30-8) ; Hydrochloric acid (CAS RN 7647-01-0) ; Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3) ; Xylene (CAS RN 1330-20-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Performing Organization:
  University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19980930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20010930
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2a9943c051524817eac78c834b70f0c983724c12c7e8ed0adcfcab0cc09d17eb65037dbd10b2b720b909e0b2868d45b14dd19c43b4aec8362122aa7bd1eee1c4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196229/cdc_196229_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 146.92 KB ]