Firefighters’ Absorption of PAHs and VOCs During Controlled Residential Fires by Job Assignment and Fire Attack Tactic

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bertke S ; Calafat, Antonia M. ; Fent, Kenneth W. ; Horn, Gavin P. ; Kerber, Stephen ; Pleil, Joachim D. ; Robertson, Shirley ; Sammons D ; Smith, Denise L. ; Toennis C ; Wallace MAG
• Description:
  To better understand the absorption of combustion byproducts during firefighting, we performed biological monitoring (breath and urine) on firefighters who responded to controlled residential fires and examined the results by job assignment and fire attack tactic. Urine was analyzed for metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and breath was analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene. Median concentrations of PAH metabolites in urine increased from pre-firefighting to 3-h post firefighting for all job assignments. This change was greatest for firefighters assigned to attack and search with 2.3, 5.6, 3.9, and 1.4-fold median increases in pyrene, phenanthrene, naphthalene, and fluorene metabolites. Median exhaled breath concentrations of benzene increased 2-fold for attack and search firefighters (p < 0.01) and 1.4-fold for outside vent firefighters (p = 0.02). Compared to interior attack, transitional attack resulted in 50% less uptake of pyrene (p = 0.09), 36% less uptake phenanthrene (p = 0.052), and 20% less uptake of fluorene (p < 0.01). Dermal absorption likely contributed to firefighters' exposures in this study. Firefighters' exposures will vary by job assignment and can be reduced by employing a transitional fire attack when feasible. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Benzene Chemistry Energy Metabolism Environmental Exposure Firefighters Fires Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Skin Urine Volatile Organic Compounds

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• Keywords:
  Absorption Author Keywords: Benzene Biological Monitoring Biomarker Breath Chemical Properties Combustion Dermal Exposures Exposure Levels Firefighter Fire Fighters Fire Fighting Fluorene Metabolites Naphthalene PAH Phenanthrene Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pyrene Risk Factors Statistical Analysis Urinalysis VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  1559-0631
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Illinois ; Maryland ; North Carolina ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  338-349
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056341
• Citation:
  J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2020 Mar; 30(2):338-349
• Contact Point Address:
  Kenneth W. Fent, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  kfent@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2) ; Fluorene (CAS RN 86-73-7) ; Naphthalene (CAS RN 91-20-3) ; Phenanthrene (CAS RN 85-01-8) ; Pyrene (CAS RN 129-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dba64a3ed69b50651ba7abf18ce4d0033bb1b25d16db0e74d6cec2d5fdf4bce37b4fa5d437f5acfca21bc175bd6ef17d4e59b98afdb6b372549b8f6502359218
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213965/cdc_213965_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 753.91 KB ]