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J Buildenv 2020 107255

This study measured levels of respirable particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at two Polish fire stations over a 7 day period. Samples were taken indoors in common rooms, changing rooms, truck bays, and outdoors for comparison. Indoor levels of particulate matter and PAHs were higher than outdoor levels, with the highest levels found in changing rooms. The combustion of materials at the fire stations was identified as the source of PAH exposure. Estimated cancer risks for firefighters and staff from exposure exceeded acceptable levels, indicating risks occur not just during fires but in fire stations from equipment and uniforms.

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34 views11 pages

J Buildenv 2020 107255

This study measured levels of respirable particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at two Polish fire stations over a 7 day period. Samples were taken indoors in common rooms, changing rooms, truck bays, and outdoors for comparison. Indoor levels of particulate matter and PAHs were higher than outdoor levels, with the highest levels found in changing rooms. The combustion of materials at the fire stations was identified as the source of PAH exposure. Estimated cancer risks for firefighters and staff from exposure exceeded acceptable levels, indicating risks occur not just during fires but in fire stations from equipment and uniforms.

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amira
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Building and Environment 184 (2020) 107255

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Building and Environment


journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/buildenv

Respirable particles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at two Polish


fire stations
Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska a, Karolina Bralewska a, *, Patrycja Rogula-Kopiec b,
Radosław Makowski a, Małgorzata Majder-Łopatka a, Aleksander Łukawski a, Andrzej Brandyk c,
Grzegorz Majewski c
a
The Main School of Fire Service, 52/54 Słowackiego St., 01-629, Warsaw, Poland
b
Institute of Environmental Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 M. Skłodowska Curie St., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland
c
Warsaw University Life of Sciences, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776, Warsaw, Poland

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Firefighters are often exposed to various products of combustion and pyrolysis, including substances in a gaseous
Firefighters phase and absorbed on particulate matter (PM). Herein, respirable PM (PM4) and 15 polycyclic aromatic hy­
Combustion byproducts drocarbons (PAH; in gaseous and particulate phases) at two Polish fire stations belonging to the State Fire Service
Fire smoke
were studied. At each station, over a 7 d period, gaseous and PM4-bound PAHs were sampled simultaneously in
Indoor air
Gaseous and particulate PAHs
the common room, changing room, truck bay, and outside the station (in the atmospheric air). Based on these
Indoor/outdoor ratio measurements, the indoor and outdoor diagnostic ratios, benzo(a)pyrene carcinogenicity equivalents (BaPeq),
incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR), and non-carcinogenic health risk of firefighters and fire station office
workers were computed. The mean concentrations of PM4 were higher inside the fire stations than outside.
Moreover, the highest mean concentration of PM4 was found in the truck bay, and the mean PAH concentrations
were the highest in the changing rooms at both fire stations. The highest BaPeq occurred in the changing room
(on average 19 ng/m3). The combustion of various materials and fuels was identified as the source of the PAHs at
each fire station. The results showed that for both firefighters and office employees at each station, the estimated
ILCR related to inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption of the PAHs exceeded the acceptable risk level.
Thus, exposure to PM and PAHs occurs not only during fires but also in the fire stations, especially in places
where fire equipment and fire uniforms are stored after fire related events.

1. Introduction of these substances are classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) or


likely carcinogenic to humans (Groups 2A or 2B) [3]. Thus, in 2010, the
In 2018, the Polish State Fire Service responded to 149,434 fires, of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified fire­
which 39,681 were apartment fires [1]. Research shows that fires in fighter’s occupational exposure as possibly carcinogenic to humans
buildings are one of the most hazardous to firefighters as they are (Group 2B) [7].
exposed to hazardous substances that are often carcinogenic [2,3]. Meanwhile, research continues to identify increasing cancer occur­
Materials used in modern buildings and furnishings are mostly synthetic rences among firefighters, the largest study involving 30,000 firefighters
and can generate various toxic combustion byproducts [4,5]. Fire smoke [8]. These studies showed that there is a significant rise in cancer
contains particulate matter (PM), which is characterized by a wide range occurrence among firefighters compared with the general population.
of particle sizes, and different substances in a gaseous phase and/or Increased mortality and incidence risk arises for all cancers, mesothe­
absorbed on particles (PM-bound), such as polycyclic aromatic hydro­ lioma, and cancers of the esophagus, intestine, lung, kidney, oral cavity,
carbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen cyanide and prostate cancer [9].
(HCN), and several other organic and inorganic compounds [3,6]. Many A firefighter can be exposed to very high concentrations of various

* Corresponding author. The Main School of Fire Service, 52/54 Słowackiego Street, 01-629, Warsaw, Poland.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (W. Rogula-Kozłowska), [email protected] (K. Bralewska), [email protected] (P. Rogula-
Kopiec), [email protected] (R. Makowski), [email protected] (M. Majder-Łopatka), [email protected] (A. Łukawski), andrzej_brandyk@
sggw.pl (A. Brandyk), [email protected] (G. Majewski).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Received 29 May 2020; Received in revised form 18 August 2020; Accepted 30 August 2020
Available online 2 September 2020
0360-1323/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255
Building and Environment, 184 (2020) 107255. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107255

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