On August 11, the Government of Canada announced announced a comprehensive action plan to protect firefighters from harmful chemicals released during household fires.
To read news release: click here
To learn more about the policies and research included in the action plan: click here
Jennifer Keir (PhD candidate and Research Associate, University of Ottawa) will be contributing to the research on strategies to reduce exposure via skin contact or penetration.
Keir’s collaborative research with Ottawa firefighters has identified exposure routes and quantified the levels of contamination from fire suppression:
(1) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and metal contamination of air and surfaces exposed to combustion emissions during emergency fire suppression: Implications for firefighters’ exposures (2020). Read article
(2) Elevated Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Other Organic Mutagens in Ottawa Firefighters Participating in Emergency, On-Shift Fire Suppression (2017). Read article