Chapter 17: Health Effects in Groups Exposed to Wildland and Urban Fires

Occupational and environmental exposure hazards from combustion events pose a risk to those intimate with the fire, as well as those remote from the fire origin. One of the main occupational exposure hazards for firefighters occurs via inhalation of combustion products predominantly after active firefighting procedures have ceased. The removal of respiratory protection or failure to use respiratory protection is linked to the assumed-risk culture of the fire service; exposure also occurs from a failure to recognize the respiratory risks present in the working environment and due to the encumbrance of personal protective equipment during firefighting and overhaul operations. The outcome of occupational exposures can vary, but epidemiological studies have clearly shown an increased risk for certain types of cancers and cardiac diseases in the fire service cohort. In the military and civil population, many studies have shown a relationship between acute increases in environmental air pollutants, such as PM10, and acute, non-life threatening respiratory symptoms such as asthma and bronchitis.