Kander M Christina, Wilkinson Andrea F, Chen I-Chen, Bertke Stephen, Kesler Richard M, Smith Denise L, Horn Gavin P, Fent Kenneth W
Department of Environmental & Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, Ohio.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2025 Mar;22(3):169-177. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2024.2439801. Epub 2025 Jan 6.
Structural firefighters are exposed to an array of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a result of incomplete combustion of both synthetic and natural materials. PAHs are found in both the particulate and vapor phases in the firefighting environment and are significantly associated with acute and chronic diseases, including cancer. Using a fireground exposure simulator (FES) and standing mannequins dressed in four different firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) conditions, each with varying levels of protective hood interface and particulate-blocking features, the efficacy of the hoods was assessed against the ingress of PAHs (specifically, naphthalene). The authors also explored the effectiveness of a 100% cotton turtleneck at further attenuating the amount of naphthalene reaching the surface of the mannequin's neck. Air samples were collected at the breathing zone, abdomen, and thigh heights from the 6 ft-2 in mannequins used in this study. Naphthalene was the most abundant PAH (55% of the total PAH concentrations) in the FES and existed primarily in the vapor phase (92% vapor in the breathing zone). Additionally, bulk base layer and under the base layer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filter samples (used as skin surrogates) were collected from the neck region of the mannequins and analyzed for PAHs. A larger percentage of naphthalene was collected on the filter under the traditional knit hoods than on the cotton base layer, suggesting a small protective effect of the base layer against solid-phase naphthalene. Previous studies investigating naphthalene by employing air sampling under PPE have found a larger protective effect of base layers against the ingress of naphthalene vapor. PAHs that exist primarily as particulate in the fire environment were largely not detected on the base layers or PTFE filters under the gear. Further research is needed that involves more sensitive methods and non-static human subjects.
由于合成材料和天然材料的不完全燃烧，结构消防员会接触到一系列多环芳烃（PAHs）。在消防环境中，PAHs存在于颗粒相和气相中，并且与包括癌症在内的急慢性疾病显著相关。使用火场暴露模拟器（FES）和穿着四种不同消防员个人防护装备（PPE）条件的站立人体模型，每种条件下防护面罩的接口和颗粒阻挡功能各不相同，评估了面罩对PAHs（特别是萘）进入的防护效果。作者还探究了100%纯棉高领衫在进一步减少到达人体模型颈部表面的萘量方面的有效性。在本研究中使用的6英尺2英寸高的人体模型的呼吸区、腹部和大腿高度处采集空气样本。萘是FES中含量最丰富的PAH（占总PAH浓度的55%），并且主要存在于气相中（呼吸区92%为气相）。此外，从人体模型的颈部区域采集了整体基础层和基础层下方的聚四氟乙烯（PTFE）过滤器样本（用作皮肤替代物）并分析其中的PAHs。与纯棉基础层相比，传统针织面罩下方的过滤器上收集到的萘的比例更大，这表明基础层对固相萘有一定的防护作用。先前通过在PPE下进行空气采样来研究萘的研究发现，基础层对萘蒸气的进入有更大的防护作用。在火灾环境中主要以颗粒形式存在的PAHs在装备下方的基础层或PTFE过滤器上基本未被检测到。需要开展更多涉及更灵敏方法和非静态人体受试者的进一步研究。
