Tak Sangwoo, Bernard Bruce P, Driscoll Richard J, Dowell Chad H
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA.
Am J Ind Med. 2007 May;50(5):377-82. doi: 10.1002/ajim.20459.
Concerns over increased reports of physical health symptoms thought to be related to floodwater exposure among New Orleans firefighters prompted a health hazard evaluation of firefighters following Hurricane Katrina.
A questionnaire assessing health symptoms possibly related to the response to Hurricane Katrina was administered to all New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) personnel within 3 months of the disaster. Descriptive statistics were compiled and prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated for covariates using generalized linear models with Log link and Poisson distribution.
Of the 525 firefighters who completed the questionnaire (77% participation), 201 (38%) reported one or more new-onset respiratory symptoms, such as sinus congestion (145 [28%]), throat irritation (92 [17%]), and cough (124 [24%]). Skin rash was reported by 258 (49%) of respondents, 414 (79%) reported skin contact with floodwater, and 165 (32%) reported contact with floodwater on multiple days. In multivariate analyses adjusting for age, gender, and smoking, firefighters who had floodwater contact with skin and either nose/mouth or eyes (224, 44%) had an increased rate of new-onset upper respiratory symptoms (PR = 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1, 3.1), and skin rash (PR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4, 3.2) compared to those not exposed to the floodwater.
Response workers involved with floodwater should minimize direct skin and mucosal contact with floodwater if possible through the use of appropriate personal protective equipment, such as goggles, safety glasses with side shields, or full-face shields.
新奥尔良消防员中，与洪水接触相关的身体健康症状报告增多，引发了对卡特里娜飓风后消防员健康危害的评估。
在灾难发生后的3个月内，对所有新奥尔良消防部门（NOFD）人员进行了一项问卷调查，评估可能与应对卡特里娜飓风有关的健康症状。编制了描述性统计数据，并使用具有对数链接和泊松分布的广义线性模型估计协变量的患病率比（PR）。
在完成问卷的525名消防员中（参与率为77%），201人（38%）报告了一种或多种新发呼吸道症状，如鼻窦充血（145人[28%]）、喉咙刺激（92人[17%]）和咳嗽（124人[24%]）。258名（49%）受访者报告有皮疹，414名（79%）报告皮肤接触过洪水，165名（32%）报告在多天接触过洪水。在对年龄、性别和吸烟进行调整的多变量分析中，皮肤以及鼻子/嘴巴或眼睛接触过洪水的消防员（224人，44%）与未接触洪水的消防员相比，新发上呼吸道症状的发生率增加（PR = 1.9；95%置信区间[CI]，1.1，3.1），皮疹发生率增加（PR = 2.1；95%CI，1.4，3.2）。
参与洪水救援的工作人员应尽可能通过使用适当的个人防护设备，如护目镜、带侧护罩的安全眼镜或全面罩，尽量减少皮肤和粘膜与洪水的直接接触。
