Respiratory status of Los Angeles firemen. One-month follow-up after inhalation of dense smoke.

A standardized respiratory questionnaire and detailed pulmonary function tests were administered to 21 Los Angeles firemen one month following exposure to the combustion products of polyvinylchloride, which had produced transient hypoxemia in 19 of the firemen. The results of these studies were compared with those obtained in a sample of nonfiremen residing in the Los Angeles area who were matched by computer with the firemen for anthropomorphic characteristics and smoking status. The frequency of respiratory symptoms, the results of spirometric and plethysmographic studies, and the single-breath nitrogen washout were similar in the firemen, compared with the matched sample, whereas closing volume was higher in the matched controls. These findings suggest that although fighting fires may result in acute pulmonary injury secondary to discrete episodes of inhalation of smoke, it does not appear to predispose to the development of chronic respiratory symptoms or chronic functional respiratory impairment.