Authors
Fent-KW; Evans-DE; Couch-J; Niemeier-MT
Source
Fire Eng 2012 Feb; 165(2):63-68
Abstract
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a health hazard evaluation (HHE) request from an Ohio township fire and rescue department concerning potential inhalation exposures during vehicle fire suppression training [see sidebar "The Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program"]. Although vehicle fires can be suppressed quickly, they can release hundreds of toxic chemicals into the air, which could cause short- and even long-term health effects over a firefighter's career. Even after a fire is extinguished, the off-gassing of potentially harmful chemicals and particles may continue because of thermal decomposition. Some of the chemicals released from vehicle fires are likely to be different from those released during structural fires because vehicles contain materials such as rubber (belts, tires), petrochemicals (oil, gasoline), and acids (batteries).
Keywords
Fire-fighting; Fire-fighters; Fire-hazards; Fire-safety; Training; Health-hazards; Inhalants; Motor-vehicles; Respirators; Respiratory-protection; Self-contained-breathing-apparatus; Motor-vehicle-parts; Explosion-prevention; Explosive-hazards; Chemical-reactions; Toxic-materials; Toxic-vapors; Volatiles; Organic-compounds; Aromatic-hydrocarbons; Aldehydes; Particulates; Isocyanates; Thermal-decomposition
CAS No.
50-00-0; 107-02-8; 71-43-2; 106-99-0; 630-08-0; 108-88-3; 91-20-3; 100-42-5; 80-62-6; 107-13-1; 75-05-8; 100-41-4
Document Type
Journal Article
NIOSH Division
DART; DSHEFS
Priority Area
Services: Public Safety
Source Name
Fire Engineering