Firefighter's occupational exposure to PM2.5 and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

• Author(s): Oliveira, M ; Klara Slezakova ; Fernandes, A ; Vaz, JA ; Delerue Matos, C ; Morais, S ; Maria do Carmo Pereira
• Date: 2016
• Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/104839
• Origin: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
• Document Type: Book
• Language: English

Description

This study collected the personal PM2.5 air fraction in fifteen healthy and no-smoking firefighters during their normal shift inside four Portuguese fire stations. Indoor PM2.5 levels varied between 0.05 to 1.04 mu g/m(3). Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for their ubiquity and toxicity, being some of them classified as carcinogenic and possible carcinogens to humans. Firefighters' personal PM2.5-bound total PAH concentrations ranged between 35.8 to 294 ng/m(3) with total carcinogenic PAHs accounting with 12% to the total PAHs. Benzo[a]pyrene, the PAH biomarker of carcinogenicity, was detected in levels ranging from 6.74 x 10(-2) to 1.00 ng/m(3).