Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40443254›Full record

ArticleAnnals of work exposures and health2025

Evaluation of 7 urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during a wildfire response as part of the Wildland Firefighter Exposure and Health Effects Study.

Alexander C Mayer, Kenneth W Fent, I-Chen Chen, Kathleen Navarro DuBose, Corey R Butler, Molly West, Antonia M Calafat, Julianne Cook Botelho, Christine Toennis, Juliana Meadows and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of work exposures and health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Alexander C MayerDivision of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum AveCincinnati, OH 45226, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2141-9033
Kenneth W FentDivision of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum AveCincinnati, OH 45226, United States.
I-Chen ChenDivision of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum AveCincinnati, OH 45226, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6764-8395
Kathleen Navarro DuBoseOffice of Wildland Fire, United States Department of Interior (DOI), P.O. Box 25226, Denver, CO 80225, United States.
Corey R ButlerOffice of Wildland Fire, United States Department of Interior (DOI), P.O. Box 25226, Denver, CO 80225, United States.
Molly WestNational Technology and Development Program, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, 5785 Hwy 10 West, Missoula, MT 59808, United States.
Antonia M CalafatDivision of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Hwy, Atlanta, GA 30341, United States.
Julianne Cook BotelhoDivision of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Hwy, Atlanta, GA 30341, United States.
Christine ToennisHealth Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45226, United States.
Juliana MeadowsHealth Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45226, United States.
Deborah SammonsDivision of Science Integration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45226, United States.

Funding

Intramural CDC HHS CC999999National Occupational Research AgendaNational Wildfire Coordinating Group
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The occupation of firefighting, including wildland firefighting, has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Wildland firefighters (WFFs) can be exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in wildfire smoke, some of which are known or probable carcinogens. Currently, there is no approved respiratory protection for WFFs against wildfire smoke, making inhalation exposure to PAHs a health concern. Recent studies have also highlighted the risk of dermal exposure to PAHs for WFFs due to factors like elevated skin temperature, sweat, and the inability to shower or routinely conduct good skin hygiene practices during wildfire incidents. This pilot study aimed to assess PAH exposure among 19 WFFs in different job positions during a wildfire incident by determining urine concentrations of 7 PAH metabolites in samples collected before and after shifts across 3 days. Overall, we observed increases from pre- to post-shift for all 7 PAH metabolites when we combined all WFF samples across the 3 days. When we stratified by job position and by day, concentrations of the PAH metabolites significantly increased from pre- to post-shift for 88% (37/42) of the comparisons (P-values <0.05). Additionally, median post-shift creatinine-corrected concentrations of 2-hydroxynaphthalene exceeded the 95th percentile of the nonsmoking US general population in 67% (4/6) of comparisons. Post-shift concentrations of hydroxynaphthalenes also exceeded concentrations measured in structural firefighters responding to training fires. Overall, 2-hydroxynaphthalene was highest on Day 2 (median creatinine-corrected concentrations of 2-hydroxynaphthalene from pre- to post-shift increased 425% for crew member/overhead; 146% for saw team). Despite this finding, we did not observe significant differences by job position. However, future studies could evaluate how job position affects WFF exposures while also exploring how dermal and inhalation contribute to WFFs' PAH exposure burden.

Indexed as

Air Pollutants, OccupationalCarcinogens, EnvironmentalFirefightersOccupational ExposurePolycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsWildfiresAdolescentAdultHumansInhalation ExposureMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsProspective StudiesSkin AbsorptionSmokeAir Pollutants, OccupationalCarcinogens, EnvironmentalPolycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsSmokebiomonitoringnaphthalenepolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)wildland firefighting

Identifiers

PMID40443254
PMCPMC12230813

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.