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<br /> <br />ERECUTIVE SUT~Il~IARY <br />'A"he potential environmental health issues that could result from a fire fire are far reaching. <br />The best method for a health agency to address these issues is to be prepared. Agency <br />personnel should have knowledge of the chemicals which are released from the fire and their <br />toxicity, the exposure pathways, what chemicals to sample and how to sample for them, how <br />to protect the health of the workers on the site and finally, how to effectively communicate to <br />the media and nearby residenu about the potential risks of the situation. Tire piles should be <br />assessed prior to a fire to determine additional sources of contamination within the tine pile . <br />(e.g., wheels, hazardous materials, etc.). This document was written to assist hcalih agencies <br />in responding to these environmental health issues associated with a cite fire. <br />The target chemical selection process identified 38 chemicals that should be considered for air <br />monitoring during a fire fire. The selection was based upon toxicity and expected <br />concentration. These chemicals were primarily hydrocarbons, metals and inorganic gases and <br />vapors. There is a wide range of adverse health effects that could result from exposure to <br />these chemicals. Generally speaking, the health effete can be quite severe and include cancer, <br />central nervous system depression, respiratory effects and irritation of the skin, eyes and <br />mucous membranes. <br />The primary route of exposure at a fire fire is inhalation of gases, vapors and particulates. The <br />highest levels of chemicals occur close to the fire and pose the greatest risk to workers on-site. <br />Proper personal protective equipment for workers will eliminate exposure to the chemicals by <br />providing respiratory and dermal protection. Level B protective equipment has-beEn-used at <br />previous fire fires and is recommended because it protecu both the respiratory system and the <br />skin and yet, is less cumbersome than level A. Using level B versus level A also will help <br />protect workers from heat stress, <br />The risk of exposure to nearby residenu can be assessed through air, water and soil <br />monitoring. There are two types of approaches for identifying and/or quantifying airborne <br />contaminanu: direct-reading instrumenu, and laboratory analysis of air samples. Both <br />approaches should be used to assess the levels of chemicals present. Air samples should be <br />collected both near the fire and away from the fire in the nearby communities. Data from <br />previous fire fires have indicated that chemical levels detected at the edge of the site <br />boundaries generally are low, and that the risk to the nearby communities is minimal. <br />Hawevet, risk assessmenu should be continually veriFed through air monitoring throughout <br />the tine fire event. Action levels for interpreting the resulu include threshold limit values and <br />reference concentrations. Community actions that could be implemented are continual air <br />monitoring, issuing a warning, restricting outdoor activities, and evacuation. <br />Water and soil provide secondary exposure pathways primarily through ingestion of <br />contaminated water, soil particles, plane and potentially, fish. Water contamination can occur <br />from oil and water run-off to surface waters and/or through seepage into ground water. <br />Samples of on-site surface waters, runoff from fire fighting efforts, as well as samples from <br />nearby surface water bodies should be collected. Ground water sampling is recommended in <br />ii <br />