ABSTRACT
PAHs are one of the most relevant pollutants that are found adsorbed to PM surface. PAHs are classified as persistent organic pollutants (WHO 2013) with sixteen of them being regarded as priority pollutants by the USA Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 2005). Among the 16 USEPA priority PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene is the only compound classified as carcinogenic to humans (i.e. group 1) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Naphthalene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[j]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, chrysene, and indeno[1,2,3c,d]pyrene are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B; IARC 2002, 2010). Additionally, some studies have also included dibenzo[a,l]
1 INTRODUCTION
Firefighting is one of the most hazardous yet the least studied occupations in terms of exposures and their relationship to occupational diseases. Firefighters are chronically exposed to complex mixtures of particles, smoke and products of incomplete combustion which contain a high number of substances such as carbon monoxide and dioxide, nitrogen oxides, respirable Particulate Matter (PM), carbonyls (methanol, formaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, acetaldehyde, acetone, methylethylketone), volatile (benzene, toluene, acetonitrile), and semi-volatile organic compounds including polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro-PAHs, and nitro-PAHs lactones (Estrellan & Lino 2010; Lemieux 2004; Lewtas 2007; Reisen et al. 2006).
