Qualitative Assessment of Off-Gassing of Compounds from Field-Contaminated Firefighter Jackets with Varied Air Exposure Time Intervals Using Headspace GC-MS.

Firefighters are exposed to a complex mix of volatile and semi-volatile compounds from burning construction materials, consumer products, and other elements during fire suppression and rescue. These compounds can be absorbed onto the gear worn by firefighters and, depending on their volatility, can be released from the gear under different conditions. Few studies have focused on the off-gassing of toxic compounds from firefighters' gear, particularly in terms of qualitative analysis methods. This study introduces a novel qualitative analysis method using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) to assess off-gassing from field-contaminated jackets at regular intervals. Our findings show that certain compounds, such as acetic acid and di-ethyl-hexyl-phthalate (DEHP), remained present even after the gear were allowed to air out for 48 h. The persistent off-gassing of chemicals, even under ambient conditions, raises concerns about potential hazards that could pose risks for personnel in the vicinity of contaminated gear, including inside fire stations. The implications of these findings extend beyond fire stations and may have significant public health implications for firefighters who are repeatedly exposed to these compounds over time.

Headspace sampling-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer as a screening method to thermally extract fireground contaminants from retired firefighting turnout jackets.

Firefighters are at a 1.5 to 2 times greater risk of contracting certain types of cancers as compared to the general population. After preliminary studies, it was evident that contaminated turnout gear and ensemble elements could be linked to heightened cancer rates amongst firefighters. Compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), perfluorinated compounds, phenols, phthalates, brominated flame retardants, dioxins, volatile organic compounds, and many others are present in the contaminated gear, of which many are known carcinogens. A setup of headspace sampler-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer was used to measure the off-gassing of the fabric samples taken from retired field-contaminated turnout jackets. The fabric samples were exposed to a specific temperature and allowed to equilibrate for a fixed time in the HS. A custom reference mix of phenols, phthalates and PAHs was put together to develop standard calibration curves. The compounds off-gassing from the outer shell, thermal liner and the moisture barrier were analyzed and the masses of certain marker compounds were calculated based of the standard calibration curves. The technique could be used as a screening method to thermally extract contaminants from field-contaminated firefighter turnout materials such as jackets, pants, gloves, and so on.

Development of a Headspace Sampling-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of Fireground Contaminants on Firefighter Turnout Materials.

Firefighting is classified as a 2B-possibly carcinogenic profession by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Firefighters are exposed to a host of toxic fireground contaminants such as phenols, phthalates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which are potentially carcinogenic. Studies show that the exposure to contaminated firefighter gear postfire poses a health risk to the firefighters. This study focused on the issue of contaminants being present on the gear and developing a thermal extraction method to perform the assessment. A headspace sampler (HS) connected to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system was used to thermally extract known fireground contaminants and understand the effect of equilibration time and temperature on the thermal extraction efficiencies. The outer shell fabric samples (PBI/Kevlar blend) were spiked with known amounts of fireground chemicals, heated at various temperatures (36, 50, 100, and 200 °C), and analyzed using the developed method to calculate extraction efficiencies. This study is one of the first to utilize the all-in-one HS-GC-MS instrument to analyze the thermal extraction of a variety of fireground contaminants relative to different temperatures from firefighter gear materials. Based on the conditions evaluated, the results indicate that the 200 °C condition allowed for the maximum thermal extraction of contaminants from the outer shell material. The data collected from this study pave a way of creating a new method for the analysis of volatile and semivolatile contaminants from field-contaminated firefighter turnout material using HS-GC-MS.