Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the firefighter workplace: The results from the first in Poland short-term measuring campaign

Abstract

Abstract. The results of investigations into 15 ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at two Polish fire stations belonging to the National Fire Service are presented. At each station, on five different days, hydrocarbons were sampled simultaneously in the changing room, garage, and exterior of the station (in the atmospheric air). The indoor and outdoor diagnostic ratios and benzo(a)pyrene carcinogenicity equivalents were computed from the measured concentrations. The former indicated the combustion of various materials and fuels as the hydrocarbons source, the latter expressed the cumulative carcinogenic hazard from the hydrocarbon mixture. Naphthalene and acenaphthene had the greatest ambient concentrations at each site. The greatest summary concentrations of the 15 hydrocarbons occurred in the changing rooms.

Concentrations of Particulate Matter and PM-Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Released during Combustion of Various Types of Materials and Possible Toxicological Potential of the Emissions: The Results of Preliminary Studies

“…CEQ estimated for all analyzed materials are several hundred times higher than CEQ calculated based on PAHs concentrations in the garage and changing room of selected fire station in Poland, where they were in the range of 21-82 ng/m 3 [46].…”

“…CEQ estimated for all analyzed materials are several hundred times higher than CEQ calculated based on PAHs concentrations in the garage and changing room of selected fire station in Poland, where they were in the range of 21-82 ng/m 3 [46]. Depending on the type of material burned, various PAH compounds had the largest contribution in carcinogenic potential of PAH mixture (Figure 6).…”

BTEXS Concentrations and Exposure Assessment in a Fire Station

“…In this way, firefighters can be exposed to these substances not only during firefighting operations but also during their return from action or while resting in their fire stations. Leaving clothes and equipment in the changing room or garage without first decontaminating them may facilitate the accumulation of toxic substances and transfer them to other fire station rooms, such as bedrooms or offices [12][13][14]. Accordingly, not only firefighters extinguishing fires but also dispatchers, commanders, and office workers working in fire stations can be exposed to toxic combustion products.…”

“…The investigations described in this paper are the next stage of the multi-site study regarding the concentration of combustion products in fire station rooms. In the first stage of study, the concentrations of PAHs in garages and changing rooms at two selected fire stations belonging to the Polish National Fire Service were analyzed and compared to the concentrations of PAHs in the atmospheric air outside these units [14]. The goal of this work was to determine the ambient concentrations of BTEXS (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene) in a selected fire station in Poland, compare them with the outdoor background concentrations of BTEXS, and assess the health risks of the exposure to BTEXS (occupational carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks) between two groups of employees (firefighters and office workers) in the state fire service unit.…”

“…This indicates an acceptable risk for non-carcinogenic effects in each scenario considered. However, as is the case for carcinogenic risk, risk modeling does not include the concentrations of other pollutants, such as PAH, which may also occur in fire station rooms [14]. The carcinogenic risk calculated for firefighters and office workers was about 10 times higher than the risk calculated for fuel workers and cashiers at gasoline stations in Thailand [24] but about two times lower for firefighters and three times lower for office workers than the average lifetime cancer risk calculated for petroleum product distributors working at stations belonging to an Iranian company [17].…”