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Biomonitoring of firefighters’ exposure to priority pollutant metal(loid)s during wildland fire combat missions: Impact on urinary levels and health risks

2024-09-06Research article Open access
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datacite.subject.fosCiências Naturais::Ciências Biológicas
datacite.subject.fosCiências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde
datacite.subject.sdg03:Saúde de Qualidade
dc.contributor.authorPaiva, Ana Margarida
dc.contributor.authorBarros, Bela
dc.contributor.authorAzevedo, Rui
dc.contributor.authorOliveira, Marta
dc.contributor.authorAlves, Sara
dc.contributor.authorEsteves, Filipa
dc.contributor.authorFernandes, Adília
dc.contributor.authorVaz, Josiana
dc.contributor.authorAlves, Maria José
dc.contributor.authorSlezakova, Klara
dc.contributor.authorPereira, Maria do Carmo
dc.contributor.authorTeixeira, João Paulo
dc.contributor.authorCosta, Solange
dc.contributor.authorAlmeida, Agostinho
dc.contributor.authorMorais, Simone
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-03T16:09:07Z
dc.date.available2025-04-03T16:09:07Z
dc.date.issued2024-09-06
dc.description.abstractWildland firefighters are exposed to metal(loid)s released during wildfires through vegetation combustion, which also promotes remobilization of accumulated anthropogenic metal(loid)s. Studies biomonitoring metal(loid)s exposure promoted exclusively by wildfire suppression activities are lacking. This work aimed to characterize, for the first time, the impact of real-life wildland firefighting operations on urinary levels of priority pollutant metal(loid)s [14 included in ATSDR, 11 in USEPA, and 4 in Human Biomonitoring for Europe Initiative priority lists] in firefighters. Spot urines were sampled pre-exposure (105 non-smokers, 76 smokers) and post-exposure to firefighting activities (20 non-smokers, 25 smokers); among those, paired samples were collected from 14 non-smoking and 24 smoking firefighters. Smokers displayed significantly higher baseline levels of zinc (28 %), lithium (29 %), cadmium (55 %), rubidium (13 %), and copper (20 %) than non-smokers. Following wildfire suppression, the concentration of the WHO potentially toxic metal(loid)s rose from 2 % to 3 % in smokers and 2 % to 5 % in non-smokers (up to 4 % for all firefighters and up to 5 % in paired samples). Levels of nickel (33-53 %), antimony (45-56 %), and cesium (40-47 %) increased significantly post-exposure in non-smokers (in all firefighters and in paired samples), whose urinary concentrations were generally more impacted by wildfire emissions than those of smokers. Arsenic (80 %) displayed the only significant increase post-exposure in smokers, being the best discriminant of exposure to wildfire emissions in these subjects. Significant positive correlations were found for age and/or career length with cadmium, lead, barium, strontium, and mercury, and for body mass index with arsenic. The reference/guidance values were exceeded for arsenic, zinc, cesium, nickel, antimony, cadmium, lead, thallium, mercury, copper, and cobalt in 1-90 % of firefighters suggesting augmented health risks due to wildfire combating and emphasizing the need of mitigation strategies. This study also provides biomonitoring data to help setting reference values for the occupationally exposed part of population.eng
dc.description.abstractHighlights: - 18 urinary metal(loid)s were biomonitored pre- and post-wildfire combating; - Smokers presented elevated baseline levels of Zn, Li, Cd, Rb, and Cu; - The best discriminant of wildfire emissions exposure was As in smokers; - Cd, Pb, Ba, Sr, and Hg were associated with career length and/or age; - Urinary As, Zn, Cs, Ni, Sb, Cd, Pb, Tl, Hg, Cu, Co guidance values were exceeded.por
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was financially supported by the project PCIF/SSO/0017/2018 (http://doi.org/10.54499/PCIF/SSO/0017/2018) by the Fundaçao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior through national funds.
dc.identifier.citationSci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 25:953:176105. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176105. Epub 2024 Sep 6
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176105
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.pmid39245390
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/10476
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relationA panel of (bio)markers for the surveillance of firefighter's health and safety.
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724062612?via%3Dihub
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectBiomarkers
dc.subjectPaired samples
dc.subjectPost-exposure
dc.subjectTobacco consumption
dc.subjectUrine
dc.subjectWildfire emissions
dc.subjectAr e Saúde Ocupacional
dc.titleBiomonitoring of firefighters’ exposure to priority pollutant metal(loid)s during wildland fire combat missions: Impact on urinary levels and health riskseng
dc.typeresearch article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleA panel of (bio)markers for the surveillance of firefighter's health and safety.
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de Projetos de Investigação Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico no Âmbito da Prevenção e Combate a Incêndios Florestais - 2018/PCIF%2FSSO%2F0017%2F2018/PT
oaire.citation.startPage176105
oaire.citation.titleScience of the Total Environment
oaire.citation.volume395
oaire.fundingStreamConcurso de Projetos de Investigação Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico no Âmbito da Prevenção e Combate a Incêndios Florestais - 2018
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
relation.isProjectOfPublicatione03b6804-4e26-4c3d-9cc7-8d614b5d4333
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscoverye03b6804-4e26-4c3d-9cc7-8d614b5d4333

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