Firefighter dermal exposure assessment with silicone samplers.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson KA ; Bonner EM ; Fent, Kenneth W. ; Horn, Gavin P. ; Kerber, Stephen ; Scott RP ; Smith, Denise L. ; Tidwell LG
• Description:
  Epidemiology studies have demonstrated elevated cancer rates for structural firefighters and a high percentage of cardiovascular events during or following firefighting activity. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are generated during combustion and are recognized as carcinogens and are implicated in cardiovascular disease progression and events. In this intervention study, commercially available firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) typical of the modern US fire service was compared to an intervention configuration of PPE with a one-piece liner to eliminate interfaces at the waist and neck. Mannequins (n=16) dressed in the PPE ensembles were placed in a Fireground Exposure Simulator for 12 min with a couch as a fuel to mimic chemical exposures during a residential fire. Silicone samplers were placed outside of the PPE in the chamber to measure air concentrations. Silicone samplers were also worn by mannequins under the PPE at the neck, chest, and wrist to passively sample organic chemicals that broke through the PPE during the burn scenarios. Mannequins wearing the two PPE configurations were paired by co-location in the chamber; four total burns were conducted, with two mannequin pairs in each. All silicone samplers were analyzed with gas chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry for 63 different parent and alkylated PAHs. The list of PAH analytes includes and exceeds the EPA's current list of 16 priority PAHs, which is the current standard for evaluating firefighter exposures. 51 of these analytes were detected in at least one sample in the study, 9 of which have not been previously reported in fireground exposure studies. Paired t-tests with a Benjamini-Hochberg correction were used to compare co-located mannequin samples at the neck, chest, and wrist, for sum concentrations of low and high molecular weight PAHs (2-3 or 4-7 rings respectively). There is moderate statistical evidence that low molecular weight sum concentrations at the neck (p=0.001) and chest (p=0.015) and high molecular weight sum concentrations at the chest (p=0.020) are higher under the standard PPE than the intervention PPE after the simulated burns. Furthermore, exposures at the neck were generally greatest, and exposures at the wrist were the lowest for both types of PPE. Based on this study, firefighter dermal protection could be improved with the implementation of a physical barrier at the interfaces of the PPE, such as the one-piece liner tested. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Firefighters Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Safety Skin Toxicology
• Keywords:
  Toxicology; Fire fighters; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PPE; Personal Protective Equipment; Exposure assessment; Skin exposure; Dermal exposures; Combustion products
• ISSN:
  1096-6080
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; New York ; Ohio ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  67
• Volume:
  186
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064921
• Citation:
  Toxicologist 2022 Mar; 186(S1):67
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  The Toxicologist. Society of Toxicology 61st Annual Meeting & ToxExpo, March 27-31, 2022, San Diego, California
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8e376b47d66bc529d0f574f5602b388e93f91a083268f69e4dfbca0d8f8712bff90962e5dbae319e6724bf7b4666553c818a0711c90dac0e67900ac5e8fc0764
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248891/cdc_248891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 241.55 KB ]