Project:

FireSkin

Firefighters’ dermal exposure to fire toxic chemicals: contamination of turnout gear, skin levels, and in vitro health risk assessment 

Principal Investigator: Marta Oliveira (Portugal); Renaud Persoons (France)

Proposing Institutions:

REQUIMTE – Rede de Química e Tecnologia, Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Portugal

Laboratoire TIMC-Techniques de l’imagerie médicale et de la complexité, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Grenoble, France; Laboratoire de Toxicologie Professionnelle et Environnementale – Institut de Biologie et Pathologie – CHU Grenoble Alpes, France; Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers Sapeurs-Pompiers, France 

Funding: FireSkin received financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação (2024.07134.CBM) under the PESSOA Programme, a Bilateral Cooperation between Portugal and France.

Abstract

In 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared the carcinogenicity of the occupational activity as a firefighter. However, limited evidence exists for the development of cutaneous melanoma. FireSkin characterizes the contamination of firefighters’ turnout gear and personal protective equipment and skin with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metal(loid)s released during fires. It will evaluate firefighter’s topical health risks through US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recommended methodologies and in vitro topical assays. FireSkin will be executed by a multidisciplinary and young research team from Portugal and France, supported by previous funded projects (4FirHealth; ENSOSP). FireSkin will generate new European data on firefighter’s dermal exposure, propose recommendations to promote their health and pursue open science, networking, and funding to REQUIMTE (PT) and UGA (FR). FireSkin gives continuity to the team previous work in the scope of previous funded projects.

The project’s main objectives are:

1. To assess firefighters’ personal protective equipment (PPE) and skin contamination following firefighting activities:
2. To estimate associated topical health risks and develop targeted recommendations to enhance firefighters’ health and safety;
3. To characterize PPE contamination by PAHs and metals, evaluating dermal exposure and health risks;
4. To investigate in vitro skin toxicities, and compare in vivo dermal exposures between Portuguese and French firefighters;
5. To deliver practical recommendations and disseminate findings broadly to firefighters, academia, regulatory bodies, and the wider community.