Potential Pulmonary Damage from Exposure to Composite Fibers in Helicopter Fires

Fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in the aircraft industry, including in helicopters. When exposed to fire, airborne fibers can be released from the composite and pose a risk to exposed humans-the fear being that it may pose a similar health hazard as asbestos fibers, particularly the pulmonary damage.

A systematic literature review was performed in the PubMed database. Four search strings were made deliberately extensive to find relevant articles on the narrow subject.

The search resulted in a total of 330 titles. Of these, 73 abstracts were found relevant, of which 28 articles and finally 18 articles were included.

The health hazards of the different fiber types were found to be as follows: fiberglass has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as: "Not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity in humans", with no later studies indicating that decision as being inaccurate. Studies on p-aramid have found a transient pulmonary inflammatory response which is not present 1 mo after exposure. Carbon/graphite has not been thoroughly investigated, but temporary lung inflammation, reversible after 10 d, has been described. Studies have not agreed on the number of fibers released in a fire, but many factors play an important role as to how many are produced, such as high temperatures (>600-850°C), turbulence, and situations like pool fire and a flashover. The knowledge on long-term outcomes after short-term exposures of fibers is scarce, and studies following up victims from aircraft incidents and firefighters as well as next-in-line helpers would be highly relevant. Laugesen M, Lindgaard K. Potential pulmonary damage from exposure to composite fibers in helicopter fires. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(4):350-355.