Girase Arjunsing, Shinde Adhiraj, Ormond Robert Bryan
Textile Protection and Comfort Center, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
Textiles (Basel). 2023 Jun;3(2):246-256. doi: 10.3390/textiles3020016. Epub 2023 Jun 7.
Firefighters are exposed to a complex mix of volatile and semi-volatile compounds from burning construction materials, consumer products, and other elements during fire suppression and rescue. These compounds can be absorbed onto the gear worn by firefighters and, depending on their volatility, can be released from the gear under different conditions. Few studies have focused on the off-gassing of toxic compounds from firefighters' gear, particularly in terms of qualitative analysis methods. This study introduces a novel qualitative analysis method using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) to assess off-gassing from field-contaminated jackets at regular intervals. Our findings show that certain compounds, such as acetic acid and di-ethyl-hexyl-phthalate (DEHP), remained present even after the gear were allowed to air out for 48 h. The persistent off-gassing of chemicals, even under ambient conditions, raises concerns about potential hazards that could pose risks for personnel in the vicinity of contaminated gear, including inside fire stations. The implications of these findings extend beyond fire stations and may have significant public health implications for firefighters who are repeatedly exposed to these compounds over time.
在灭火和救援过程中,消防员会接触到来自燃烧的建筑材料、消费品及其他元素的挥发性和半挥发性化合物的复杂混合物。这些化合物会吸附在消防员所穿的装备上,并根据其挥发性,在不同条件下从装备中释放出来。很少有研究关注消防员装备中有毒化合物的脱气情况,特别是在定性分析方法方面。本研究引入了一种新颖的定性分析方法,即顶空气相色谱 - 质谱联用(HS - GC - MS),以定期评估现场受污染夹克的脱气情况。我们的研究结果表明,某些化合物,如乙酸和邻苯二甲酸二(2 - 乙基己基)酯(DEHP),即使在装备通风48小时后仍有残留。即使在环境条件下,化学物质持续脱气也引发了人们对潜在危害的担忧,这些危害可能会对受污染装备附近的人员,包括消防站内部的人员构成风险。这些发现的影响不仅限于消防站,随着时间的推移,对于反复接触这些化合物的消防员可能具有重大的公共卫生意义。