Last data update: May 13, 2024. (Total: 46773 publications since 2009)
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Chemical and thermal exposure risks in a multi compartment training structure
Horn GP , Stakes K , Neumann DL , Willi JM , Chaffer R , Weinschenk C , Fent KW . Fire Technol 2024 Providing NFPA 1403 compliant live-fire training can present thermal and chemical exposure risk to instructors and students. To reduce risk, training academies, fire departments, instructors, and standards setting technical committees need more information on how different training fuels used in common training structures can impact the environment in which firefighter training occurs. This study utilized a traditional concrete training structure with multiple compartments to characterize training environments with three different fuel package materials [i.e., low density wood fiberboard, oriented strand board (OSB), and wood pallets]. Exposure risks for a fire instructor located on either the first or second floor were characterized using measurements of heat flux, air temperature and airborne concentrations of several contaminants including known, probable, or possible carcinogens. It was hypothesized that utilizing a training fuel package with solid wood pallets would result in lower concentrations of these airborne contaminants [aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] than wood-based sheet goods containing additional resins and/or waxes. Additionally, it was hypothesized that these concentrations would be lower than in the single compartment Fire Behavior Lab presented in a companion manuscript. For all measured compounds other than hydrochloric acid, airborne concentrations were 10 to 100 times lower than in the Fire Behavior Lab. OSB-fueled fires produced the highest median concentrations of total PAHs and VOCs such as benzene, while the pallet fuel package produced the lowest median concentrations of these compounds. These trends generally followed the qualitative visual obscuration created by each fuel. Additional tests were conducted on the OSB-fueled fires with increased ventilation and an alternate means of reducing visibility through smoldering smoke barrels. This OSB experiment with increased ventilation resulted in the highest temperatures in the fire room but the lowest impact on visibility throughout the structure, as well as the lowest overall concentrations of contaminants in this study. In contrast, the smoldering straw-filled smoke barrel created a highly obscured environment (with minimal impact on thermal environment) and some of the highest concentrations of the targeted contaminants of any test. These data may be useful in balancing obscuration for training with potential exposure to thermal stressors and contaminants. |
Firefighter hemodynamic responses to different fire training environments
Lefferts EC , Rosenberg AJ , Grigoriadis G , Wee SO , Kerber S , Fent KW , Horn GP , Smith DL , Fernhall B . Vasc Med 2021 26 (3) 1358863x20987608 Firefighting is associated with an increased risk for a cardiovascular (CV) event, likely due to increased CV strain. The increase in CV strain during firefighting can be attributed to the interaction of several factors such as the strenuous physical demand, sympathetic nervous system activation, increased thermal burden, and the environmental exposure to smoke pollutants. Characterizing the impact of varying thermal burden and pollutant exposure on hemodynamics may help understand the CV burden experienced during firefighting. The purpose of this study was to examine the hemodynamic response of firefighters to training environments created by pallets and straw; oriented strand board (OSB); or simulated fire/smoke (fog). Twenty-three firefighters had brachial blood pressure measured and central blood pressure and hemodynamics estimated from the pressure waveform at baseline, and immediately and 30 minutes after each scenario. The training environment did not influence the hemodynamic response over time (interaction, p > 0.05); however, OSB scenarios resulted in higher pulse wave velocity and blood pressure (environment, p < 0.05). In conclusion, conducting OSB training scenarios appears to create the largest arterial burden in firefighters compared to other scenarios in this study. Environmental thermal burden in combination with the strenuous exercise, and psychological and environmental stress placed on firefighters should be considered when designing fire training scenarios and evaluating CV risk. |
Firefighters' and instructors' absorption of PAHs and benzene during training exercises
Fent KW , Toennis C , Sammons D , Robertson S , Bertke S , Calafat AM , Pleil JD , Geer Wallace MA , Kerber S , Smith DL , Horn GP . Int J Hyg Environ Health 2019 222 (7) 991-1000 INTRODUCTION: Training fires may constitute a major portion of some firefighters' occupational exposures to smoke. However, the magnitude and composition of those exposures are not well understood and may vary by the type of training scenario and fuels. OBJECTIVES: To understand how structure fire training contributes to firefighters' and instructors' select chemical exposures, we conducted biological monitoring during exercises involving combustion of pallet and straw and oriented strand board (OSB) or the use of simulated smoke. METHODS: Urine was analyzed for metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and breath was analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene. RESULTS: Median concentrations of nearly all PAH metabolites in urine increased from pre-to 3-hr post-training for each scenario and were highest for OSB, followed by pallet and straw, and then simulated smoke. For instructors who supervised three trainings per day, median concentrations increased at each collection. A single day of OSB exercises led to a 30-fold increase in 1-hydroxypyrene for instructors, culminating in a median end-of-shift concentration 3.5-fold greater than median levels measured from firefighters in a previous controlled-residential fire study. Breath concentrations of benzene increased 2 to 7-fold immediately after the training exercises (with the exception of simulated smoke training). Exposures were highest for the OSB scenario and instructors accumulated PAHs with repeated daily exercises. CONCLUSIONS: Dermal absorption likely contributed to the biological levels as the respiratory route was well protected. Training academies should consider exposure risks as well as instructional objectives when selecting training exercises. |
Understanding airborne contaminants produced by different fuel packages during training fires
Fent KW , Mayer A , Bertke S , Kerber S , Smith D , Horn GP . J Occup Environ Hyg 2019 16 (8) 1-12 Fire training may expose firefighters and instructors to hazardous airborne chemicals that vary by the training fuel. We conducted area and personal air sampling during three instructional scenarios per day involving the burning of two types (designated as alpha and bravo) of oriented strand board (OSB), pallet and straw, or the use of simulated smoke, over a period of 5 days. Twenty-four firefighters and ten instructors participated. Firefighters participated in each scenario once (separated by about 48 hr) and instructors supervised three training exercise per scenarios (completed in 1 day). Personal air samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and hydrogen cyanide during live-fire scenarios (excluding simulated smoke). Area air samples were analyzed for acid gases, aldehydes, isocyanates, and VOCs for all scenarios. For the live-fire scenarios, median personal air concentrations of benzene and PAHs exceeded applicable short-term exposure limits and were higher among firefighters than instructors. When comparing results by type of fuel, personal air concentrations of benzene and PAHs were higher for bravo OSB compared to other fuels. Median area air concentrations of aldehydes and isocyanates were also highest during the bravo OSB scenario, while pallet and straw produced the highest median concentrations of certain VOCs and acid gases. These results suggest usage of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) by both instructors and firefighters is essential during training fires to reduce potential inhalation exposure. Efforts should be taken to clean skin and clothing as soon as possible after live-fire training to limit dermal absorption as well. |
Developing a motion comic for HIV/STD prevention for young people ages 15-24, part 2: Evaluation of a pilot intervention
Willis LA , Kachur R , Castellanos TJ , Nichols K , Mendoza MC , Gaul ZJ , Spikes P , Gamayo AC , Durham MD , LaPlace L , Straw J , Staatz C , Buge H , Hogben M , Robinson S , Brooks J , Sutton MY . Health Commun 2016 33 (3) 1-9 In the United States, young people (ages 15-24 years) are disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), due at least in part to inadequate or incorrect HIV/STD-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral intentions (KABI). Comic book narratives are a proven method of HIV/STD prevention communication to strengthen KABI for HIV/STD prevention. Motion comics, a new type of comic media, are an engaging and low-cost means of narrative storytelling. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot six-episode HIV/STD-focused motion comic series to improve HIV/STD-related KABI among young people. We assessed change in HIV/STD knowledge, HIV stigma, condom attitudes, HIV/STD testing attitudes, and behavioral intentions among 138 participants in 15 focus groups immediately before and after viewing the motion comic series. We used paired t-tests and indicators of overall improvement to assess differences between surveys. We found a significant decrease in HIV stigma (p < .001) and increases in both HIV knowledge (p = .002) and behavioral intentions to engage in safe sex (p < .001). In summary, this motion comic intervention improved HIV/STD-related KABI of young adult viewers by reducing HIV stigma and increasing behavioral intentions to engage in safer sex. Our results demonstrate the promise of this novel intervention and support its use to deliver health messages to young people. |
Exposure to Bat-Associated Bartonella spp. among Humans and Other Animals, Ghana
Mannerings AO , Osikowicz LM , Restif O , Nyarko E , Suu-Ire R , Cunningham AA , Wood JL , Kosoy MY . Emerg Infect Dis 2016 22 (5) 922-4 Human contact with wildlife is a leading cause of disease spillover. Bats, in particular, host numerous zoonotic pathogens, from henipaviruses to lyssaviruses (1). In Ghana, the straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) frequently and closely interacts with humans through roosting in urban areas and human harvesting of bushmeat. Large colonies live in Accra, the capital city, and >128,000 bats, on average, are hunted for food yearly in southern Ghana alone (2). Serologic evidence of human infection with novel paramyxoviruses from E. helvum bats (3) supports concerns regarding this contact. In addition, Kosoy et al. (4) isolated several new strains of Bartonella that were found in >30% of E. helvum bats, whereas Billeter et al. found Bartonella in 66% of their ectoparasites (5), with Bartonella transmissibility to other species unknown. This prevalence causes concern because many Bartonella species are zoonotic and cause substantial human disease (6). Previous studies of febrile patients in Thailand have shown prevalence rates of <25% for antibodies against zoonotic Bartonella species (7). Serologic studies have been conducted in Europe and in the United States, but few studies have examined such prevalence in Africa among patients and in the general population (8). | To address these concerns, we conducted a prevalence study in Ghana, West Africa, for evidence of bat-associated Bartonella infection in humans and other common animal species. We sampled humans who had close contact with fruit bats and also sampled domestic animals that lived around the bat colonies. |
Classification of Bartonella strains associated with straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) across Africa using a multi-locus sequence typing platform.
Bai Y , Hayman DT , McKee CD , Kosoy MY . PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015 9 (1) e0003478 Bartonellae are facultative intracellular bacteria and are highly adapted to their mammalian host cell niches. Straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) are commonly infected with several bartonella strains. To elucidate the genetic diversity of these bartonella strains, we analyzed 79 bartonella isolates from straw-colored fruit bats in seven countries across Africa (Cameroon, Annobon island of Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda) using a multi-locus sequencing typing (MLST) approach based on nucleotide sequences of eight loci (ftsZ, gltA, nuoG, ribC, rpoB, ssrA, ITS, and 16S rRNA). The analysis of each locus but ribC demonstrated clustering of the isolates into six genogroups (E1 - E5 and Ew), while ribC was absent in the isolates belonging to the genogroup Ew. In general, grouping of all isolates by each locus was mutually supportive; however, nuoG, gltA, and rpoB showed some incongruity with other loci in several strains, suggesting a possibility of recombination events, which were confirmed by network analyses and recombination/mutation rate ratio (r/m) estimations. The MLST scheme revealed 45 unique sequence types (ST1 - 45) among the analyzed bartonella isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences supported the discrimination of six phylogenetic lineages (E1 - E5 and Ew) corresponding to separate and unique Bartonella species. One of the defined lineages, Ew, consisted of only two STs (ST1 and ST2), and comprised more than one-quarter of the analyzed isolates, while other lineages contained higher numbers of STs with a smaller number of isolates belonging to each lineage. The low number of allelic polymorphisms of isolates belonging to Ew suggests a more recent origin for this species. Our findings suggest that at least six Bartonella species are associated with straw-colored fruit bats, and that distinct STs can be found across the distribution of this bat species, including in populations of bats which are genetically distinct. |
Identification of risk factors for plague in the West Nile Region of Uganda
Eisen RJ , Macmillan K , Atiku LA , Mpanga JT , Zielinski-Gutierrez E , Graham CB , Beogler KA , Enscore RE , Gage KL . Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90 (6) 1047-58 Plague is an often fatal, primarily flea-borne rodent-associated zoonosis caused by Yersinia pestis. We sought to identify risk factors for plague by comparing villages with and without a history of human plague cases within a model-defined plague focus in the West Nile Region of Uganda. Although rat (Rattus rattus) abundance was similar inside huts within case and control villages, contact rates between rats and humans (as measured by reported rat bites) and host-seeking flea loads were higher in case villages. In addition, compared with persons in control villages, persons in case villages more often reported sleeping on reed or straw mats, storing food in huts where persons sleep, owning dogs and allowing them into huts where persons sleep, storing garbage inside or near huts, and cooking in huts where persons sleep. Compared with persons in case villages, persons in control villages more commonly reported replacing thatch roofing, and growing coffee, tomatoes, onions, and melons in agricultural plots adjacent to their homesteads. Rodent and flea control practices, knowledge of plague, distance to clinics, and most care-seeking practices were similar between persons in case villages and persons in control villages. Our findings reinforce existing plague prevention recommendations and point to potentially advantageous local interventions. |
Bartonella species in bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) from western Africa
Billeter SA , Hayman DT , Peel AJ , Baker K , Wood JL , Cunningham A , Suu-Ire R , Dittmar K , Kosoy MY . Parasitology 2012 139 (3) 1-6 SUMMARY: Bat flies are obligate ectoparasites of bats and it has been hypothesized that they may be involved in the transmission of Bartonella species between bats. A survey was conducted to identify whether Cyclopodia greefi greefi (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) collected from Ghana and 2 islands in the Gulf of Guinea harbour Bartonella. In total, 137 adult flies removed from Eidolon helvum, the straw-coloured fruit bat, were screened for the presence of Bartonella by culture and PCR analysis. Bartonella DNA was detected in 91 (66.4%) of the specimens examined and 1 strain of a Bartonella sp., initially identified in E. helvum blood from Kenya, was obtained from a bat fly collected in Ghana. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to report the identification and isolation of Bartonella in bat flies from western Africa. |
Reassortant group A rotavirus from straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum)
Esona MD , Mijatovic-Rustempasic S , Conrardy C , Tong S , Kuzmin IV , Agwanda B , Breiman RF , Banyai K , Niezgoda M , Rupprecht CE , Gentsch JR , Bowen MD . Emerg Infect Dis 2010 16 (12) 1844-1852 Bats are known reservoirs of viral zoonoses. We report genetic characterization of a bat rotavirus (Bat/KE4852/07) detected in the feces of a straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum). Six bat rotavirus genes (viral protein [VP] 2, VP6, VP7, nonstructural protein [NSP] 2, NSP3, and NSP5) shared ancestry with other mammalian rotaviruses but were distantly related. The VP4 gene was nearly identical to that of human P[6] rotavirus strains, and the NSP4 gene was closely related to those of previously described mammalian rotaviruses, including human strains. Analysis of partial sequence of the VP1 gene indicated that it was distinct from cognate genes of other rotaviruses. No sequences were obtained for the VP3 and NSP1 genes of the bat rotavirus. This rotavirus was designated G25-P[6]-I15-R8(provisional)-C8-Mx-Ax-N8-T11-E2-H10. Results suggest that several reassortment events have occurred between human, animal, and bat rotaviruses. Several additional rotavirus strains were detected in bats. |
Morphological and elemental classification of freshly emitted soot particles and atmospheric ultrafine particles using the TEM/EDS
Tumolva L , Park JY , Kim JS , Miller AL , Chow JC , Watson JG , Park K . Aerosol Sci Technol 2010 44 (3) 202-215 The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) were used to determine morphology and elemental composition of a variety of freshly emitted soot particles ( acetylene flame, candle flame, kerosene flame, diesel exhaust, electric arc, plastic burning, styrofoam burning, wood burning [white oak and pine bark], and rice straw burning), which can be possible candidate soot in the ambient atmosphere, and ultrafine particles sampled in urban, industrial, and coastal sites during ultrafine particle formation events ( combustion and photochemical events). By using mobility-classified non-refractory ((NH4)(2)SO4) and refractory ( Polystyrene latex (PSL) and salt ( NaCl)) particles, limitation of the TEM was tested. Data showed that the TEM method can be used to examine shapes of both volatile particles such as (NH4)(2)SO4 (100 nm) at low, but not high magnification ( refer to low and high beam intensity, respectively), and nonvolatile particles like NaCl ( 100 nm) and PSL ( 84 nm) at either low or high magnification. Distinct differences in morphological properties such as primary particle diameter, fractal dimension, and microstructure were observed among the different types of fresh soot particles. The atmospheric ultrafine particles were classified as agglomerates, sulfate mixtures ( spherical), metallic oxides ( spherical and polygonal), C-rich refractory ( not agglomerated), C-rich non-refractory ( not agglomerated), Si-rich ( spherical), Na-rich ( porous), or P-containing (non-spherical) particles. At the urbanGwangju site, a higher fraction of fresh and aged agglomerates was observed than at other sites. The C-rich non-refractory and sulfate mixtures were often observed in the photochemical event. The C-rich refractory particles were abundant at the Gwangju and Yeosu sites. The coastal Taean site had few agglomerates due to limited anthropogenic combustion source. |
Evidence of Lagos bat virus circulation among Nigerian fruit bats
Dzikwi AA , Kuzmin II , Umoh JU , Kwaga JK , Ahmad AA , Rupprecht CE . J Wildl Dis 2010 46 (1) 267-71 During lyssavirus surveillance, 350 brains from four species of fruit bats and one species of insectivorous bat were collected from seven locations in Northern Nigeria during May to October, 2006. Lyssavirus antigen was not detected in the brains, and isolation attempts in mice were unsuccessful. However, serologic tests demonstrated the presence of lyssavirus-neutralizing antibodies in bat sera. Of 140 sera tested, 27 (19%) neutralized Lagos bat virus, and two of these additionally neutralized Mokola virus. The positive samples originated from the straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) and the Gambian epaulet bat (Epomophorus gambianus). No neutralizing activity was detected against other lyssaviruses including rabies, Duvenhage, and West Caucasian bat viruses. |
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