Understanding Airborne Contaminants Produced by Different Fuel Packages During Training Fires

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bertke S ; Fent, Kenneth W. ; Horn, Gavin P. ; Kerber, Stephen ; Mayer A ; Smith, Denise L.
• Description:
  Fire training may expose firefighters and instructors to hazardous airborne chemicals that vary by the training fuel. We conducted area and personal air sampling during three instructional scenarios per day involving the burning of two types (designated as alpha and bravo) of oriented strand board (OSB), pallet and straw, or the use of simulated smoke, over a period of 5 days. Twenty-four firefighters and ten instructors participated. Firefighters participated in each scenario once (separated by about 48 hr) and instructors supervised three training exercise per scenarios (completed in 1 day). Personal air samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and hydrogen cyanide during live-fire scenarios (excluding simulated smoke). Area air samples were analyzed for acid gases, aldehydes, isocyanates, and VOCs for all scenarios. For the live-fire scenarios, median personal air concentrations of benzene and PAHs exceeded applicable short-term exposure limits and were higher among firefighters than instructors. When comparing results by type of fuel, personal air concentrations of benzene and PAHs were higher for bravo OSB compared to other fuels. Median area air concentrations of aldehydes and isocyanates were also highest during the bravo OSB scenario, while pallet and straw produced the highest median concentrations of certain VOCs and acid gases. These results suggest usage of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) by both instructors and firefighters is essential during training fires to reduce potential inhalation exposure. Efforts should be taken to clean skin and clothing as soon as possible after live-fire training to limit dermal absorption as well. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Firefighters Fires Fuel Oils Hydrocarbons Isocyanates Occupational Health Particulate Matter Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Safety Staff Development Volatile Organic Compounds

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Particulates Author Keywords: Firefighters Fire Fighters Fuels HCN PAHs Particulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Training VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Maryland ; New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; 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
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056247
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2019 Aug; 16(8):532-543
• Contact Point Address:
  Kenneth W. Fent, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS R-14, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  kfent@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c29fc695385eb00fdf179758ff87113f835f807318477d00a688f36502c6021d5b86ca73ac29591e095104eccf4d2340183a0ae44824b89722a41bf415cb53c6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213891/cdc_213891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.45 MB ]