Air, Skin, and Biological Monitoring of French Fire Instructors’ Exposure to Particles/PAHs During Controlled Fire and Mitigation Strategies

Occupational exposure as a firefighter was recently classified as carcinogenic to humans by the IARC. Fire instructors' exposure to carcinogenic PAHs is a major concern, and studies that have tried to assess the determinants of their exposure are scarce. An air and biomonitoring study was conducted in fire instructors performing simulated training exercises in enclosed containers. Air samples were collected, as well as urine samples from 22 firefighting instructors, and skin wipes were collected from FFs' skin at the end of the exercises. PAH metabolites (1-hydroxypyrene, 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene, 2/3-hydroxyfluorene, and 2/3-hydroxyphenanthrene) were measured in urine samples at three sampling times (beginning of shift, end of shift, and next morning). Airborne PAHs were dominated by low molecular weight compounds (naphthalene), and levels were as high as 67 µg·m^-3 close to the containers, decreasing at higher distances. Skin contamination was observed both on the neck/face and hands/wrists of fire instructors and pilots. Ten times lower skin contamination was observed when nitrile undergloves were worn. High internal exposure was measured, with 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene levels frequently exceeding maximum recommended values in occupational settings (up to 2.8 µmol/mol creatinine for 1-OHP, 14 µmol/mol creatinine for ΣOH-PAH, and 1.0 nmol/mol creatinine for 3-OHBaP), whereas benzene exposure was revealed to be very low. These types of exposure were found to derive both from dermal absorption (combustion products deposited on the skin) and inhalation (when removing SCBA outside the containers). Several recommendations are proposed in order to reduce both exposure routes (nitrile undergloves and half-masks in the vicinity of containers), harmonise decontamination (PPEs) and cleaning procedures, and prevent the dermal absorption of PAH from turnout gear. This study emphasises the complex PAH exposure profiles of fire instructors and characterises the main drivers of exposure, highlighting the need for better mitigation strategies.