Increased PFAS levels detected in firefighters 1 month after Maui wildfires
Key takeaways:
- Firefighters who responded to the Maui wildfires in 2023 had higher levels of PFAS in blood samples than other responders.
- PFAS concentrations were highest for firefighters who worked for 30 or more years.
Firefighters who responded to the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, had higher levels of some endocrine-disrupting chemicals in blood and serum samples than other types of responders, researchers wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Researchers from the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health obtained blood and serum samples from 258 employees of Maui County in Hawaii, including 178 firefighters, about 1 month after wildfires occurred there in August 2023. Firefighters had higher concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their blood compared with other county employees, raising concerns about potential adverse health outcomes.
“Although it is unclear if levels of these chemicals found in firefighters’ blood were related to exposures during the Maui wildfire, it is essential to continue to improve our understanding of firefighter exposures to identify ways of reducing exposure in the future,” Catherine Beaucham, PhD, CIH, industrial hygienist and epidemiologist at the CDC, told Healio.
Beaucham and colleagues analyzed urine and blood samples from Maui County employees who elected to participate in the study. Occupation and the use of respiratory protection was obtained from a workplace questionnaire. PFAS levels for the study group were compared with 95th percentile concentrations collected among adults aged 20 years and older during the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycle.
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid levels significantly differed by occupation in the study group. Firefighters had the highest concentrations of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, with a median level of 1.2 µg/L. One firefighter had a perfluorohexane sulfonic acid concentration of 9.3 µg/L, which was more than twice as high as the NHANES 95th percentile level of 3.8 µg/L. For other occupations, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid level ranged from nondetectable to 3.8 µg/L.
The median sum of seven types of PFAS was 7 µg/L for firefighters compared with a range of 5.7 µg/L to 6.9 µg/L for other occupations. Firefighters who had been working for 30 or more years had higher median PFAS levels than firefighters working for less than 30 years.
About 40% of firefighters said they used respiratory protection in a workplace questionnaire. The proportion of other participants using respiratory protection ranged from 4% to 33%.
Beaucham said there are several steps fire departments and agencies can take to reduce PFAS exposure among firefighters.
“Possible steps include using alternative firefighting foams when possible; ensuring the proper use, maintenance and decontamination of gear; and more,” Beaucham said. “Rostering responders, tracking response activities and personal protective equipment use, and monitoring the health of first responders could improve the understanding of chemical exposure during wildfires and inform prevention strategies.”
Beaucham added that firefighters who responded to the Maui wildfires have been invited to enroll in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. She said the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health aims to use data from the registry to better understand how PFAS exposure may influence the risk for cancer among firefighters.
Beaucham said more research is also needed to understand the impact of PFAS exposure during wildfires for other first responders, how dermal exposure of PFAS contributes to overall exposure and how firefighters may be impacted during larger wildfire events that occur near urban areas.
For more information:
Catherine Beaucham, PhD, CIH, can be reached at cbeaucham@cdc.gov.
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