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The Fire Damage Case Study 2: Inhalation Hazards After the Fire
Jason Yost • November 25, 2022
The Fire Damage Case Study 2: Inhalation Hazards After the Fire
The following is a true story that demonstrates why it is so important that fire damage restoration technicians understand the hazards associated with the environments they work and the cost on their health due to their lack of training.
John Doe (real names will not be used in my blogs out of respect for those who share their stories with me) came into the restoration industry as many other do: fresh out of school with no real, practical experience. On the job training was the way to do it back then, and “I was totally dependent on the protocols of my employer.”
During this time, Mr. Doe came across a situation where he was asked to work with a crew on a “smoke damage”. There was no indoor environmental evaluation prior to mitigation and restoration. “We were told that this was just a smoke damage” and to “clean it as we would any other structure with heavy debris.” He goes on to share:
- We were not told to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE—and we didn’t);
- We were not debriefed on potential hazards or cleaning procedures;
- We were given concentrated chemicals and empty bottles (with no labels) to work with;
- We were instructed not to use Air Filtration Devices (AFDs) during cleaning, but to wait until after cleaning to install an ozone machine; and,
- We were instructed not to remove any of the building components for substrate cleaning.
At the time “I was very young and did not know better than to just do what I was told, so I did what I was told to do.” While working inside the structure one of Mr. Doe’s cleaning partners became fatigued and found it hard to breath, saying they felt a tightness in their chest. (“This guy was a five-year veteran with this company”, an important note to remember later in this discussion.) Mr. Doe suggested his colleague take a break, “not saying what the proper break would be (I didn’t know what that was then)”. His colleague removed himself from the structure, choosing to rest in the company van (“which was full of our concentrated cleaning products”, another important note to remember later in this discussion).
Well, his colleague’s symptoms never improved. While his colleague tried to return to work (“fifteen minutes later”), the tightness in his chest persisted (“within and without the structure, during breaks”). “He mentioned that he thought he was having a heart attack and called the main office for permission to leave the property, which we did upon authorization.”
Mr. Doe’s colleague was brought to the office for questioning then sent to a local emergency room. Once there, the medical staff performed tests on him and found that, due to long-term exposure to chemicals and smoke/fire damaged structures, that there was a chemical and particulate build up in the bronchiole of his lungs. This build-up, it was said, was due to the absorption of chemicals and gases around them (i.e., the particulate that he had breathed) both within the damaged structures and in the applications of cleaning agents within those structures.
Carbon particles from these fire damaged structures absorb gases and chemicals that they are exposed to. When inhaled, they carry these gases and chemicals deep into the lungs (depending on the size of the particulate these things can be carried all the way to the alveolar sacs where gas exchange takes place). In the case of Mr. Doe’s colleague, he was told that the fire damage particulate debris, that led to his unhealthy condition, wasn’t the only causal factor; additional gases and chemicals, from traveling inside the work van, was also collecting inside of his lungs.
“This guy had to lay off work for three weeks while he took medication to break up the deposits in his lungs. I was not told about the long-term effects of his exposures, but I am certain that the breaking up of this blockage meant that (to whatever medically altered state) the clogging debris had to be processed by his body to completely rid it of this debris.”
This is a great example of why indoor environmental consultants or industrial hygienists shall be engaged in determining workplace hazards and risks. Had such a person been employed and a plan to eliminate or reduce exposures (to safe levels) been implemented, this man wouldn't have had to go through this terrible situation.
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