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Respiratory symptoms in firefighters
Frans E Greven1, Jos M Rooyackers, Huib A M Kerstjens
1Department of Environmental Health, Municipal Health Services Groningen, the Netherlands. f.greven.@hvd.groningen.nl
Background:
The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with respiratory symptoms in common firefighters in the Netherlands.
Methods:
A total of 1,330 firefighters from the municipal fire brigades of three provinces of the Netherlands were included in the study. All subjects were administered a Dutch web-based version of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey questionnaire.
Results:
General respiratory symptoms were associated with the number of fires fought in the last 12 months with odds ratios between 1.2 (95% CI 1.0-1.4) and 1.4 (95% CI 1.2-1.7) per 25 fires. A strong association was found between an inhalation incident and present respiratory symptoms with odds ratios between 1.7 (95% CI 1.1-2.7) and 3.0 (95% CI 1.9-4.7). Adjustments for smoking, sex, atopy, and age did not change any of the associations. After stratification, atopics showed elevated odds ratios.
Conclusions:
It is recommended that firefighters are aware of these elevated healthcare risks associated with exposure to fire smoke and that they increase as much as possible the use of self-contained breathing apparatus.
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