title: Exposures and cross-shift lung function declines in wildland firefighters.
abstract: Respiratory problems are common among wildland firefighters. However, there are few studies directly linking occupational exposures to respiratory effects in this population. Our objective was to characterize wildland fire fighting occupational exposures and assess their associations with cross-shift changes in lung function. We studied 17 members of the Alpine Interagency Hotshot Crew with environmental sampling and pulmonary function testing during a large wildfire. We characterized particles by examining size distribution and mass concentration, and conducting elemental and morphological analyses. We examined associations between cross-shift lung function change and various analytes, including levoglucosan, an indicator of wood smoke from burning biomass. The levoglucosan component of the wildfire aerosol showed a predominantly bimodal size distribution: a coarse particle mode with a mass median aerodynamic diameter about 12 μm and a fine particle mode with a mass median aerodynamic diameter < 0.5 μm. Levoglucosan was found mainly in the respirable fraction and its concentration was higher for fire line construction operations than for mop-up operations. Larger cross-shift declines in forced expiratory volume in one second were associated with exposure to higher concentrations of respirable levoglucosan (p < 0.05). Paired analyses of real-time personal air sampling measurements indicated that higher carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations were correlated with higher particulate concentrations when examined by mean values, but not by individual data points. However, low CO concentrations did not provide reliable assurance of concomitantly low particulate concentrations. We conclude that inhalation of fine smoke particles is associated with acute lung function decline in some wildland firefighters. Based on short-term findings, it appears important to address possible long-term respiratory health issues for wildland firefighters. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resources: a file containing additional information on historical studies of wildland fire exposures, a file containing the daily-exposure-severity questionnaire completed by wildland firefighter participants at the end of each day, and a file containing additional details of the investigation of correlations between carbon monoxide concentrations and other measured exposure factors in the current study.].
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine and the Institute for Translational Epidemiology , Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York , New York.
authors.forename: Denise M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gaughan
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Piacitelli
authors.forename: Bean T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Brandon F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: M Abbas
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Virji
authors.forename: Nicole T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Enright
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Schwegler-Berry
authors.forename: Stephen S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: Gregory R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Lester
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kobzik
authors.forename: Stefanos N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Kales
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Christiani
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cox-Ganser
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hoover
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000336:Aerosols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001944:Breath Tests; D002244:Carbon / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005947:Glucose / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D010316:Particle Size; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D013147:Spirometry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D015415:Biomarkers; D012906:Smoke; C014989:1,6-anhydro-beta-glucopyranose; D002244:Carbon; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D005947:Glucose
keywords: exposure assessment; levoglucosan; occupational lung disease