Evaluating Exposure to VOCs and Naphthalene for Firefighters Wearing Different PPE Configurations through Measures in Air, Exhaled Breath, and Urine

Alexander C. Mayer (), Kenneth W. Fent, Andrea F. Wilkinson, I-Chen Chen, Miriam R. Siegel, Christine Toennis, Deborah Sammons, Juliana Meadows, Richard M. Kesler, Steve Kerber, Denise L. Smith, Farzaneh Masoud, Deepak Bhandari, Yuesong Wang, Benjamin C. Blount, Antonia M. Calafat and Gavin P. Horn
Additional contact information
Alexander C. Mayer: Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Kenneth W. Fent: Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Andrea F. Wilkinson: Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
I-Chen Chen: Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Miriam R. Siegel: Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Christine Toennis: Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Deborah Sammons: Division of Science Integration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Juliana Meadows: Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Richard M. Kesler: Fire Safety Research Institute, UL Research Institutes, Columbia, MD 21045, USA
Steve Kerber: Fire Safety Research Institute, UL Research Institutes, Columbia, MD 21045, USA
Denise L. Smith: Health and Human Physiological Sciences, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, USA
Farzaneh Masoud: Illinois Fire Service Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Deepak Bhandari: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
Yuesong Wang: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
Benjamin C. Blount: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
Antonia M. Calafat: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
Gavin P. Horn: Fire Safety Research Institute, UL Research Institutes, Columbia, MD 21045, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: Firefighters are at an increased risk of cancer due to their occupational exposure to combustion byproducts, especially when those compounds penetrate the firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble. This has led to questions about the impact of base layers (i.e., shorts vs. pants) under PPE ensembles. This study asked 23 firefighters to perform firefighting activities while wearing one of three different PPE ensembles with varying degrees of protection. Additionally, half of the firefighters unzipped their jackets after the scenario while the other half kept their jackets zipped for five additional minutes. Several volatile organic compound (VOC) and naphthalene air concentrations outside and inside of hoods, turnout jackets, and turnout pants were evaluated; biological (urinary and exhaled breath) samples were also collected. VOCs and naphthalene penetrated the three sampling areas (hoods, jackets, pants). Significant ( p -value < 0.05) increases from pre- to post-fire for some metabolites of VOCs (e.g., benzene, toluene) and naphthalene were found. Firefighters wearing shorts and short sleeves absorbed higher amounts of certain compounds ( p -value < 0.05), and the PPE designed with enhanced interface control features appeared to provide more protection from some compounds. These results suggest that firefighters can dermally absorb VOCs and naphthalene that penetrate the PPE ensemble.

Keywords: personal protective equipment (PPE); firefighters; volatile organic compounds (VOCs); breath; urine; benzene (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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