ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF FIREFIGHTERS

Abstract

A study of firefighter exposures was undertaken at the request of the U.S. Fire Administration. This work was part of a larger study which included field evaluation of the performance of the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) worn by firefighters during structural firefighting. Measurements were made for a variety of contaminants including CO, CO2, benzene, HCN, HCl, H2SO4, HF, acrolein, CH4, formaldehyde and PNAs. Many of the analyses were performed by collection of bag samples followed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a field mobile spectrometer. Measurements were also made using solid sorbent tubes and direct-reading meters. Sampling was done both during the knockdown and during overhaul phases of structural firefighting. Also, in order to estimate exposures including those when the SCBAs were worn, measurements were made both inside and outside the SCBA facepiece. Carbon monoxide was the most common contaminant found during knockdown, and about 10% of the samples were greater than 1500 ppm. Formaldehyde, acrolein, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, sulphuric acid and hydrogen fluoride all exceeded their respective short-term exposure limits (STEL) on some occasions. Approximately 50% of the knockdown samples for acrolein exceeded the STEL. During overhaul, when masks were usually not worn, many of the contaminants found during knockdown were detected, but typically at much lower concentrations. Inside-mask sampling data suggest that exposure to low concentrations of a variety of compounds is occurring but this is believed to be principally the result of early mask removal or of non-use during knockdown rather than of leakage. The three basic sampling approaches (bag sampling, sorbent tubes and direct-reading meters) proved in this study to be complementary and served to maximize our ability to detect and quantify a wide range of combustion products.