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Fire fighters' exposure to carbon monoxide during Australian bushfires.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1990 Apr; 51(4):234-40.AI

Abstract

Fatal entrapments of Australian bushfire fighters have led to suggestions that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning could have contributed to these accidents by impairing the fire fighters' judgement. Carboxyhemoglobin saturation (COHb%) levels were assessed from alveolar CO levels in 24 fire fighters working with handtools and in 12 accompanying scientific observers, before and after fire fighting (duration 37-187 min) on 15 experimental bushfires. Carboxyhemoglobin levels increased on average by 0.7% per hour in the fire fighters and by 0.3% per hour in the observers. Nonsmoking fire fighters had lower COHb% after fires than the smokers had before fires. Estimates of environmental CO concentrations (including cigarette smoke) during the fires averaged 31 parts per million (ppm) for the smokers, 17 ppm for the nonsmoking crew members, and 11 ppm for the observers, none of whom smoked. The highest estimates of environmental CO arising solely from bushfire smoke were 40 to 50 ppm. Smokers were exposed to as much CO from their cigarettes as from bushfire smoke. Carboxyhemoglobin levels at the end of 8-hr fire fighting shifts, predicted from these levels of environmental CO, averaged about 5% (maximum 11%) in smokers and about 3% (maximum 7%) in nonsmokers. Acute levels of COHb% of this degree are not considered to have significant effects on health or performance. These results indicate that bushfire fighters are generally unlikely to experience hazardous levels of CO exposure.

Authors+Show Affiliations

Brotherhood JR
Work Environment Research Unit, National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Budd GM
No affiliation info available
Jeffery SE
No affiliation info available
Hendrie AL
No affiliation info available
Beasley FA
No affiliation info available
Costin BP
No affiliation info available
Wu ZE
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdultAir Pollutants, OccupationalAustraliaCarbon MonoxideCarboxyhemoglobinFiresHumansMaleSmoking

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

2327333

Citation

Brotherhood, J R., et al. "Fire Fighters' Exposure to Carbon Monoxide During Australian Bushfires." American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, vol. 51, no. 4, 1990, pp. 234-40.
Brotherhood JR, Budd GM, Jeffery SE, et al. Fire fighters' exposure to carbon monoxide during Australian bushfires. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1990;51(4):234-40.
Brotherhood, J. R., Budd, G. M., Jeffery, S. E., Hendrie, A. L., Beasley, F. A., Costin, B. P., & Wu, Z. E. (1990). Fire fighters' exposure to carbon monoxide during Australian bushfires. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 51(4), 234-40.
Brotherhood JR, et al. Fire Fighters' Exposure to Carbon Monoxide During Australian Bushfires. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1990;51(4):234-40. PubMed PMID: 2327333.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Fire fighters' exposure to carbon monoxide during Australian bushfires. AU - Brotherhood,J R, AU - Budd,G M, AU - Jeffery,S E, AU - Hendrie,A L, AU - Beasley,F A, AU - Costin,B P, AU - Wu,Z E, PY - 1990/4/1/pubmed PY - 1990/4/1/medline PY - 1990/4/1/entrez SP - 234 EP - 40 JF - American Industrial Hygiene Association journal JO - Am Ind Hyg Assoc J VL - 51 IS - 4 N2 - Fatal entrapments of Australian bushfire fighters have led to suggestions that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning could have contributed to these accidents by impairing the fire fighters' judgement. Carboxyhemoglobin saturation (COHb%) levels were assessed from alveolar CO levels in 24 fire fighters working with handtools and in 12 accompanying scientific observers, before and after fire fighting (duration 37-187 min) on 15 experimental bushfires. Carboxyhemoglobin levels increased on average by 0.7% per hour in the fire fighters and by 0.3% per hour in the observers. Nonsmoking fire fighters had lower COHb% after fires than the smokers had before fires. Estimates of environmental CO concentrations (including cigarette smoke) during the fires averaged 31 parts per million (ppm) for the smokers, 17 ppm for the nonsmoking crew members, and 11 ppm for the observers, none of whom smoked. The highest estimates of environmental CO arising solely from bushfire smoke were 40 to 50 ppm. Smokers were exposed to as much CO from their cigarettes as from bushfire smoke. Carboxyhemoglobin levels at the end of 8-hr fire fighting shifts, predicted from these levels of environmental CO, averaged about 5% (maximum 11%) in smokers and about 3% (maximum 7%) in nonsmokers. Acute levels of COHb% of this degree are not considered to have significant effects on health or performance. These results indicate that bushfire fighters are generally unlikely to experience hazardous levels of CO exposure. SN - 0002-8894 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/2327333/Fire_fighters'_exposure_to_carbon_monoxide_during_Australian_bushfires_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -