Wilkinson Andrea F, Kander M Christina, Mayer Alexander C, Chen I-Chen, Kesler Richard M, Masoud Farzaneh, Smith Denise L, Horn Gavin P, Fent Kenneth W
Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Division of Science Integration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2025 Aug 25:1-10. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2025.2530070.
Firefighters (FFs) are occupationally exposed to many carcinogens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Previous studies have evaluated PAH contamination on FFs' personal protective equipment (PPE), including fire gloves; however, there is a need to better understand PAH contamination that may break through fire gloves during active firefighting, donning, and doffing of PPE. Researchers in this study aimed to understand the potential contamination of FFs' hands during firefighting activities. A pilot study was conducted with 23 FFs, asking them to wear up to 3 separate sets of newly opened cotton undergloves during (1) donning, (2) simulated firefighting activities conducted in a smoky environment, and (3) doffing activities (donning and firefighting were combined for some samples). Samples were taken from the palm, index finger, and thumb areas of the cotton gloves and analyzed for PAHs. Overall, it was found that fire gloves were relatively effective at minimizing PAH exposure on the hands (undergloves) during active firefighting operations, though some PAH contamination was still present. PAH contamination was highest during the doffing of PPE and was significantly higher on the thumb and finger relative to the palm ( values < 0.05). PAH contamination was found in the cotton gloves during donning, even though FFs' self-contained breathing apparatuses were cleaned and the turnout gear was previously laundered, using commercial extractors. Future research could explore the potential for contaminated, decontaminated, and/or laundered gear to present contamination risks to fire personnel and investigate the use of undergloves as additional protection for FFs' skin.
消防员职业暴露于多种致癌物，包括多环芳烃（PAHs）。先前的研究评估了消防员个人防护装备（PPE）上的PAH污染情况，包括消防手套；然而，有必要更好地了解在实际灭火、穿戴和脱卸个人防护装备过程中可能透过消防手套的PAH污染情况。本研究的研究人员旨在了解灭火活动期间消防员手部的潜在污染情况。对23名消防员进行了一项试点研究，要求他们在（1）穿戴、（2）在烟雾环境中进行模拟灭火活动以及（3）脱卸活动（部分样本将穿戴和灭火合并进行）期间最多佩戴3套新开封的棉质内手套。从棉质手套的手掌、食指和拇指区域取样并分析PAHs。总体而言，发现消防手套在实际灭火操作期间能相对有效地减少手部（内手套）的PAH暴露，不过仍存在一些PAH污染。PAH污染在脱卸个人防护装备期间最高，且拇指和手指上的污染相对于手掌显著更高（ 值<0.05）。在穿戴过程中，即使消防员的自给式呼吸器已清洁且灭火服先前已使用商用提取器清洗过，棉质手套中仍发现有PAH污染。未来的研究可以探索受污染、已去污和/或已清洗的装备对消防人员带来污染风险的可能性，并研究使用内手套作为对消防员皮肤的额外保护措施。
