Personal Carbon Monoxide Exposures Among Firefighters at Prescribed Forest Burns in the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT

Exposure to combustion products from wildland fires causes respiratory irritation and decreased lung function among firefighters. The authors evaluated carbon monoxide (CO) exposures of a group of wildland firefighters who conducted prescribed burns in the southeastern United States of America. A total of 149 person-days of samples were collected using data logging CO monitors. A questionnaire was administered to collect data on job tasks and self-reported smoke exposure. Overall, the highest exposures were seen amongst firefighters assigned to holding and mop-up tasks (geometric mean [GM]: 2.6 ppm), whereas the lowest were associated with lighting and jobs such as burn boss (GM: 1.6 and 0.3 ppm, respectively). The self-reported smoke exposure showed a significant linear trend with increasing CO exposure. The numbers of acres burned or burn duration, however, were not good predictors of exposure.

KEYWORDS:

• carbon monoxide, exposure assessment, prescribed burns, wildland firefighter

Acknowledgments

Funding and support was provided by the Department of Energy Savannah River Operations Office through the US Forest Service Savannah River under Interagency Agreement DE-AI09–00SR22188. The authors gratefully acknowledge Jeff Prevey, Paul Linse, Mark Frizzell, John Blake, Gary Achtemeier, Dan Shea, Chris Hobson, Jason Demas, and the firefighters for support and participation in this study. The findings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mention of company names or products does not constitute endorsement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.