ArticleInternational journal of hygiene and environmental health2022
Firefighters' urinary concentrations of VOC metabolites after controlled-residential and training fire responses.
Article in International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- An Absorption-Based PDMS/f-CNT Mass-Capacitor for Continuous Monitoring of Fire-Derived Organic Contamination.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Urinary biomarkers of PAHs, VOCs, OPEs, and metal(loid)s in firefighters responding in the wildland urban interface (WUI).International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2026Article
- Acrolein-Induced Alterations in Morphology and Stress Resilience in hiPSC-Derived Cortical Neurons.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Contamination of firefighters' merino wool and mixed fibre sweater and hood undergarments with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Annals of work exposures and health · 2025Article
- Addressing the need for individual-level exposure monitoring for firefighters using silicone samplers.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2025Article
- Biomonitoring Xenobiotics in Human Biospecimens: Challenges, Advances, and the Future of Exposome Characterization.Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology · 2025Article
- Review
- Article
- Evaluating changes in firefighter urinary metabolomes after structural fires: an untargeted, high resolution approach.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Assessment of urinary 6-hydroxy-2,4-cyclohexadienyl mercapturic acid as a novel biomarker of benzene exposure.Journal of analytical toxicology · 2023Article
- Evaluating Exposure to VOCs and Naphthalene for Firefighters Wearing Different PPE Configurations through Measures in Air, Exhaled Breath, and Urine.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Exposure Risks and Potential Control Measures for a Fire Behavior Lab Training Structure: Part B. Chemical Gas Concentrations.Fire technology · 2023Article
- Hierarchy of contamination control in the fire service: Review of exposure control options to reduce cancer risk.Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionFirefighters are exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during structural fire responses and training fires, several of which (e.g., benzene, acrolein, styrene) are known or probable carcinogens. Exposure studies have found that firefighters can absorb chemicals like benzene even when self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) are worn, suggesting that dermal absorption contributes to potentially harmful exposures. However, few studies have characterized VOC metabolites in urine from firefighters.
objectivesWe quantified VOC metabolites in firefighters' urine following live firefighting activity across two field studies.
methodsIn two separate controlled field studies, spot urine was collected before and 3 h after firefighters and firefighter students responded to simulated residential and training fires. Urine was also collected from instructors from the training fire study before the first and 3 h after the last training scenario for each day (instructors led three training scenarios per day). Samples were analyzed for metabolites of VOCs to which firefighters may be exposed.
resultsIn the residential fire study, urinary metabolites of xylenes (2MHA), toluene (BzMA), and styrene (MADA) increased significantly (at 0.05 level) from pre- to post-fire. In the training fire study, MADA concentrations increased significantly from pre- to post-fire for both firefighter students and instructors. Urinary concentrations of benzene metabolites (MUCA and PhMA) increased significantly from pre- to post-fire for instructors, while metabolites of xylenes (3MHA+4MHA) and acrolein (3HPMA) increased significantly for firefighter students. The two highest MUCA concentrations measured post-shift from instructors exceeded the BEI of 500 μg/g creatinine.
conclusionsSome of the metabolites that were significantly elevated post-fire are known or probable human carcinogens (benzene, styrene, acrolein); thus, exposure to these compounds should be eliminated or reduced as much as possible through the hierarchy of controls. Given stringent use of SCBA, it appears that dermal exposure contributes in part to the levels measured here.
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