Hygienic aspects of firefighters’ labour activity

Introduction. Firefighters’ labor activity characterized by extreme working conditions and the complex impact of harmful and dangerous factors of the working environment, including physical, chemical, biological, and psychophysiological factors, as well as hazardous fire factors and their associated manifestations. The chemical factor is one of the leading hazard factors and poses a significant danger to the life and health of firefighters. Currently, plenty of synthetic polymeric materials are used in construction. During their combustion and thermal decomposition into the air, a wide range of chemicals are released, including superecotoxicants dioxins, which have a cumulative effect.

The aim of the study is to provide a hygienic assessment of air pollution with the main harmful substances in the fire zone, to determine dioxins in the air and in the blood of firefighters with different work experience.

Materials and methods. Study of the working area air for the content of 7 pollutants carried out by classical and express methods at different stages of eliminating 56 fires of various localization. There were 350 people with various experience of professional activity, directly involved in fire extinguishing and conducting inspections (as part of an investigation at the fire sites). They were examined to assess the influence of harmful chemical factors on the firefighters’ body. As a control group, 82 rescuers examined.

Results. A day after extinguishing a fire, the concentrations of most toxic combustion products decreased to levels close to MPC. The exception was dioxins, which high concentrations in the surface air at the fire site persisted for more than two weeks. High concentrations of dioxins in blood plasma found both in the group of firefighters directly involved in firefighting and the group conducting inspections at the fire site. Analysis of the data showed a significant increase in the concentration of dioxins in the blood with an increase in the length of work experience.

Conclusions. Although the main path of entry of dioxins into the human body considered to be alimentary, for firefighters who perform work at their high concentrations in the air, the respiratory route of intake becomes significant.

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