Exposures and cross-shift lung function declines in wildland firefighters.

ABSTRACT: Respiratory problems are common among wildland firefighters. However, there are few studies directly linking occupational exposures to respiratory effects in this population. Our objective was to characterize wildland fire fighting occupational exposures and assess their associations with cross-shift changes in lung function. We studied 17 members of the Alpine Interagency Hotshot Crew with environmental sampling and pulmonary function testing during a large wildfire. We characterized particles by examining size distribution and mass concentration, and conducting elemental and morphological analyses. We examined associations between cross-shift lung function change and various analytes, including levoglucosan, an indicator of wood smoke from burning biomass. The levoglucosan component of t

SUBMITTER: Gaughan DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7781241 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature