Incident command post exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter during a wildfire

Abstract

Wildland firefighters engaged in fire suppression activities are often exposed to hazardous air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and particulate matter (PM_2.5) during wildfires with no respiratory protection. Although the most significant exposures to smoke likely occur on the fireline, wildland firefighters may also be exposed at the incident command post (ICP), an area designated for wildfire suppression support operations. Our objective was to characterize exposures of PAHs and PM_2.5 near an ICP during a wildfire event in California. We collected area air samples for PAHs and PM_2.5, during the first 12 days of a wildfire event. PAH area air samples were actively collected in 12-hr shifts (day and night) using XAD4-coated quartz fiber filters and XAD2 sorbent tubes and analyzed for 17 individual PAHs. Hourly area PM_2.5 concentrations were measured with an Environmental Beta Attenuation Monitor. Most PAH concentrations generally had similar concentrations during the day and night. PM_2.5 concentrations were higher during the day, due to increased fire activity, than at night. The highest concentrations of the 17 PAHs measured were for naphthalene, phenanthrene, and retene. The location of an ICP may be a critical factor in reducing these potential exposures to firefighters during wildfire events. Additionally, exposures could be reduced by utilizing clean air tents or sleeping trailers with HEPA filtration or setting up smaller camps in less smokey areas closer to the fireline for firefighters. Although measured exposures to PAHs for firefighters from smoke are lower at an ICP, these exposures still contribute to the overall cumulative work exposures.

Keywords:

• Firefighters
• incident command post
• PAHs
• particulate matter
• wildfire

Acknowledgments

We thank Charles Perrino for providing guidance in laboratory methods and Morgan Davis and Marley Zalay for their assistance with laboratory processing. The authors also thank Brandon Adams, Trent Procter, and Brent Skaggs of the United States Forest Service for their assistance with study coordination, as well as SKC Inc., for donating sampling pumps for this project.

Additional information

Funding

This work was completed with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Targeted Research Traineeship (T42 OH008429), Northern California Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, and United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Award (#A17-0121-001).