Assessment of Ambient Exposures Firefighters Encounter while at the Fire Station: An Exploratory Study

Details

• Journal Article:
  J Occup Environ Med
• Personal Author:
  Sparer, Emily H. ; Prendergast, Daniel ; Apell, Jennifer N. ; Bartzak, Madeleine R. ; Wagner, Gregory R. ; Adamkiewicz, Gary ; Hart, Jaime E. ; Sorensen, Glorian
• Description:
  Objective
  
  Firefighters are at increased risk for many types of cancer. While most studies on this topic focus on exposures encountered while fighting fires, exposures at the fire station are also cause for concern. This pilot study aimed to describe air quality within a few fire stations in and around Boston, Massachusetts, and to investigate physical and organizational factors that may influence levels of contaminants in stations.
  
  Methods
  
  Air sampling of particulate matter less than 2.5μm in diameter (PM2.5) and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was completed at four fire stations in Spring, 2016. Sampling occurred in the kitchen, truck bay, and just outside the station. Data were analyzed to assess differences between and within stations. Interviews (n=7) were conducted with officers at each station to explore health and safety-related organizational policies and practices. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for thematic content.
  
  Results
  
  At each station, levels of contaminants were higher in the truck bays than either the outdoors or kitchen, and varied the most throughout the day. The station with the highest exposures in the truck bay had the lowest levels in the kitchen, which was possibly explained by new building materials and effective separation between building zones. The age and layout of the stations appeared to determine the extent to which policies favoring exhaust capture were implemented.
  
  Conclusion
  
  Levels of PM2.5 and PAH inside fire stations may contribute to firefighter cancer risk. Through understanding contaminant variability, we can begin to design and test interventions that improve cancer prevention.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Firefighters Inhalation Exposure Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Workplace
• Keywords:
  Fire fighters; Employee exposure; Occupational exposure; Air contaminants; Air pollutants; Airborne particles; Work environment; Air quality; Exposure levels; Work organization; Physical agents; Air sampling; Particulates; Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; PAH; Work practices; Policy; Exhaust ventilation; Risk factors; Cancer; Disease prevention; Total Worker Health; TWH
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Med. 59(10):1017-1023.
• Pubmed ID:
  28991807
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5641976
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  P30 ES000002/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; R25 CA057711/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; T42 OH008416/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States ; U19 OH008861/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  18 pdf pages
• Volume:
  59
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050481
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78c6293a6aa93015d253be5e57b476494f7c335e08c85e2a314a9ffef0422fad50938f2f226143a1b16ab667be0e309bcaa7df26454a002593db0f5261ca5be9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/49162/cdc_49162_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 741.93 KB ]