Acute health effects among firefighters exposed to a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fire
- New York State Psychiatric Institute (USA)
- Columbia Univ., New York (USA)
Firefighters are frequently being called on to fight fires that are chemical in nature. In the aftermath of a chemical fire in Plainfield, New Jersey on March 20-21, 1985, the authors conducted a retrospective cohort study which surveyed 80 firefighters exposed to burning polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as well as 15 nonexposed firefighter subjects. By means of an 81-item symptom checklist, exposed firefighters reported more frequent and severe symptoms at 5-6 weeks post incident. This was true for a total symptomatology score as well as 19 individual items. Some of the items with an elevated risk were consistent with exposure to hydrogen chloride, the main pyrolysis product of polyvinyl chloride. Other items with an elevated risk appeared to be related to smoke inhalation while others seemed psychosocial in nature. Analyses conducted within the exposed firefighter group showed that fighting the fire the first day, being a truckman, and residence within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the firehouse were significant risk factors for high total symptom scores. These risk factors may have been associated with level or duration of exposure to the toxic substances produced during the fire.
- OSTI ID:
- 5015963
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Epidemiology; (USA), Vol. 129:5; ISSN 0002-9262
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
FIRE FIGHTING
HEALTH HAZARDS
PVC
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
EPIDEMIOLOGY
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
RISK ASSESSMENT
SYMPTOMS
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
POLYMERS
POLYVINYLS
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology