Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati Academic Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0056, USA.
J Occup Environ Med. 2010 Aug;52(8):791-6. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181ed2c6e.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the primary cause of death among US firefighters during fire suppression. In other populations, exposure to respirable particles, including ultrafine particles, has been widely implicated as a risk factor for CHD. This study is the first to report detailed characterization of respirable particles released by combustion of an automobile and model residential structures under firefighter exposure conditions.
Characterization was performed when feasible during knockdown and routinely during overhaul.
Ultrafines accounted for >70% of particles in all fire suppression stages, occurring in concentrations exceeding background by factors between 2 (automobile) and 400 (bedroom), consistent among all structures.
Exposure to ultrafine particles during fire suppression should be considered a potential contributing factor for CHD in firefighters. Of major significance is their predominance during overhaul, where firefighters frequently remove respiratory protection.
冠心病(CHD)是美国消防员在灭火时的主要死亡原因。在其他人群中,可吸入颗粒物(包括超细颗粒物)的暴露已被广泛认为是 CHD 的一个风险因素。本研究首次报告了在消防员暴露条件下燃烧汽车和模型住宅结构时释放的可吸入颗粒物的详细特征。
在扑灭阶段和常规检修时尽可能进行特征描述。
超细颗粒物在所有灭火阶段的颗粒物中占比超过 70%,其浓度超过背景的倍数在 2(汽车)至 400(卧室)之间,所有结构中均一致。
在灭火过程中接触超细颗粒物应被视为消防员患冠心病的一个潜在促成因素。其中一个重要的方面是它们在检修期间占主导地位,此时消防员经常会卸下呼吸防护设备。