Evaluation of Interventions to Reduce Firefighter Exposures

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Science
• Toxicology

Background:

• Firefighters face significant exposure to carcinogens during structural fire responses.
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a major concern due to their carcinogenic properties.
• Reducing exposure is critical for firefighter health and long-term well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of specific fireground interventions in reducing firefighter exposure to PAHs.
• To assess the impact of decontamination procedures on urinary PAH metabolite levels.
• To investigate the potential benefits of infrared sauna therapy in mitigating PAH exposure.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of fireground interventions: self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) use, wash downs, equipment isolation, and personal hygiene.
• Measurement of urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites (PAH-OHs) before and after intervention implementation.
• A randomized trial comparing infrared sauna use to standard postfire care for live-fire training exposure.

Main Results:

• Fireground interventions significantly reduced mean total urinary postfire PAH-OHs in engineers by -40.4% and firefighters by -36.2%.
• No significant reduction in PAH-OHs was observed in captains.
• Infrared sauna treatment resulted in a non-significant reduction of -43.5% in total mean PAH-OHs.

Conclusions:

• Selected fireground interventions are effective in reducing urinary PAH-OHs for engineers and firefighters.
• Further research is warranted to validate the efficacy of infrared sauna treatment for PAH exposure reduction.