Firefighter health
– particulates bypass the protection of mucus lining by travelling more slowly with fewer collisions. Any of these toxicants can bind to smoke particles (airborne soot and tarry droplets), allowing them to penetrate deep into the lung where they cause respiratory distress and pulmonary oedema (flooding of the lungs). This can result in incapacitation and death, from just a few days to years after exposure.
Issues ignored
The real cost of unwanted fires has been significantly underestimated by neglecting the toxicity of effluents and residues. Elevated levels of certain cancer and other disease incidence and death amongst firefighters has led to presumptive legislation in the USA and Canada. This identifies certain occupational diseases which trigger automatic compensation for firefighter victims. To an extent, firefighters are ‘the canaries in the coal mine’. Once the toxicity and carcinogenicity of components of fire effluents and residues are established, detailed investigation may show enhanced incidence of certain diseases amongst fire survivors, clean up Group
Name SVOC/VOCs
Benzene Styrene
Toluene Phenol
Acetaldehyde Isocyanates PAHs Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)
2,4-and 2,6-toluenediisocyanate (TDI) Benzo[a]pyrene
Benzo[a]anthracene Benzo[b]fluoranthene Chrysene
Fluoranthene Naphthalene
PCCD/PCDFs PCBs PFOA/PFOS
Flame retardants TCiPP TCEP
Figure 1
www.frmjournal.com MARCH 2020 35
2,3,7,8 TCDD 2,3,7,8 TCDF
3,3´,4,4´,5,5´-hexaCB 2,3,4,4´,5-pentaCB
2,3,3´,4,4´,5,5´-heptaCB Perfluorooctanoic acid
Perfluorooctane sulphonic acid Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate
Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate
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workers and occupiers of buildings renovated post fire. Recent studies have shown high levels of contamination in the soil around Grenfell Tower, while traces of fire residue are starting to be quantified in post fire buildings.
In most cases, decontamination is likely
to involve demolition of buildings or removal of soil, since there are no techniques for on site remediation. In addition, the contribution of unwanted fires to the total quantity of atmospheric particulates has been estimated to be around 10% of the emissions from all forms of transport. Thus, the overall cost of unwanted fires is far higher than the current estimates, with a large portion remaining uncompensated.
Long term toxic components
Fire effluents and residues contain the following long term toxic components (see overleaf):
FOCUS
Carcinogenic Teratogenic Sensitising Reproductive Neurological Pulmonary Respiratory Haematological Nephrotoxic
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