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A Permeation of Toxic Substances through Layers of Firefighters Clothing

Activity: Talk or presentationInvited talk

Description

Firefighting is the most challenging and dangerous profession, associated with a regular and repeated exposure of workers to a toxic cocktail containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), monomers, particulate matter, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs), metals, diesel exhaust fumes, water soluble compounds, etc. In 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified firefighters' occupational exposures as carcinogenic to humans. The nature, concentration levels and mechanisms of toxic chemicals ingress and movement through the firefighters' gear are not fully understood. The aim of this talk is to enhance your knowledge of a chemical makeup of a fire effluent generated by burning solid fuels found in a typical home. Moreover, it evaluates whether the elements of firefighters' turnout gear allow the transport of the toxic chemicals from hot fire effluent towards the skin of firefighters protected with fire suits, thus negatively impacting their health. This study is a part of the 3-year InToxFIRE project (https://www.intoxfire.net) funded by the ULRI, USA.
Period19 Mar 2025
Event titleSFPE UK Chapter CPD event
Event typeOther
LocationBelfast, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of RecognitionNational