Characterization of Contaminants on Firefighter"s Protective Equipment A Firefighter's Potential Exposure to Heavy Metals During a Structure Fire

<p>This research measured heavy metals, specifically cadmium, chromium, copper, and lead, on the surface of the firefighters bunker gear. Despite the fact that many studies have been conducted regarding the presence of organics in smoke emissions from structure fires, very few studies have investigated the extent of heavy metal emissions found during a structure fire. Using a wipe test procedure samples were collected from firefighters following a structure fire and analyzed for metals. Three locations on the bunker gear were used, the knee, elbow, and chest areas. The results showed that varying amounts of cadmium, chromium, copper and lead adhere to a firefighter's bunker gear in all locations following a fire. Some lead concentrations found on firefighters bunker gear exceeded the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards for clearance in residential homes. There are no surface standards for cadmium, chromium, and copper however, if the same levels where found using air monitoring they could potentially exceed ACGIH recommendations and NIOSH standards for an 8 hour time weighted average requiring continuous protection. </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Safety, Security, and Emergency Management

Grantor dc:publisher

Eastern Kentucky University

Year

2015

Author dc:creator

• Gagas, Donald F.

• Exposure
• Hazardous Substances
• Metals
• Particulates
• Structure Fires
• Toxic
• Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
• Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2015 Donald F. Gagas

Repository record dc:identifier

https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/261

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:encompass.eku.edu:etd-1259