Chapter 27

Hazardous Materials: Personal Protective

Equipment

Introduction• PPE takes on many different shapes and

versions• When dealing with hazardous materials,

these configurations are endless• SCBA provides best respiratory protection• Firefighter turnout gear is not tested or

approved for chemical spills• Persons trained to operations level may be

required to don chemical protective clothing

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Health Hazards• Serious concern with hazardous

materials emergencies• Can affect every responder• Protecting the body is easily

accomplished

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Toxicology• The study of poisons and their effect

on the body• Most industrial facilities have industrial

hygienists on staff– Their primary focus is on chemical

hazards existing within facility– They have extensive knowledge in

toxicology and chemical exposures

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Types of Exposures• Exposure to a chemical may present a risk• Level defined in terms of potential hazard

– Acute exposure– Chronic exposure

• Acute exposure: body subjected to large dose in short time– May cause injuries from minimal to major

• Chronic exposure: multiple exposures over a long period of time

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Types of Hazards• Several methods used to identify possible

hazards at a chemical release• TRACEMP:

– Thermal– Radiation– Asphyxiation– Chemical– Etiological– Mechanical– Psychological harm

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Categories of Health Hazards

• Within TRACEMP, responders should understand these terms:– Carcinogen

• Known

• Suspected

– Irritant– Sensitizer– Allergens– Convulsant

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Table 27-2 Target Organs and Systems

Categories of Health Hazards (cont'd.)

• Radiation has ability to cause a number of health problems– Absorbed dose

• Radiation doses should be kept “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA)

• Four primary routes of exposure:– Respiratory, absorption, ingestion, and

injection27.9

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Figure 27-2 Routes of exposure.

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Figure 27-3 Respiratory system route of exposure.

Exposure Levels• In industry, monitoring is

commonplace and is usually a preventive action

• In emergency services, it can be an afterthought

• Exposure values are based on an average male and are for an industrial application– 8-hour day, 40-hour work week

• Permissible exposure limit (PEL)

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Figure 27-4 Explanation of units of measure.

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Figure 27-5 Exposure values.

Exposure Levels (cont'd.)• Most common exposure values

expressed in ppm• Values are generally defined for a

period of time– PEL– TLV– REL’s– Ceiling levels– STEL– Lethal doses or lethal concentrations

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Table 27-7 Exposure Values

Types of Personal Protective Equipment

• Most common for the firefighter is FFPC– Helmet and hood– Coat– Pants– Boots– Gloves– PASS– SCBA

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Figure 27-6 The use of SCBA offers tremendous protection against heat and chemical hazards. Responders who enter any environment that may have a chemical present should always use SCBA.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

• With regard to chemical exposures, SCBA offers a protection factor of 10,000

• Most common type of SCBA for chemical spills is a 60-minute type

• Other types:– Supplied air respirators (SARs)– Air-purifying respirators (APRs)

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Chemical Protective Clothing• Four basic levels of chemical protective

clothing– Levels A, B, C, and D– Level A is the highest level

• Since establishment of levels, many changes have been made to PPE styles and types

• Chemical protective clothing must be checked prior to use for compatibility with spilled chemical– Based on permeation of chemical through the

fabric

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Figure 27-7 This police officer is wearing an air purifying respirator (APR), which is filtering contaminants from the air.

Chemical Protective Clothing (cont’d.)

• Level A ensemble: fully encapsulated suit • Level B ensemble: encapsulated and

coverall – Many subvarieties

• Level C ensemble: incorporates air-purifying respirator within the ensemble

• Level D ensemble: regular work clothing• High-temperature clothing: proximity, fire

entry• Low-temperature clothing: gloves, aprons,

etc.27.22

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Figure 27-8 When conducting a permeation test, the fabric splits a test container, and a measurement device is used to see if the chemical goes through the fabric.

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Figure 27-9 This Level A ensemble is a gas/vapor-tight garment that protects against most chemicals. Although the protection offered by this ensemble is very high, it is the most stressful to wear.

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Figure 27-10 The photos here all represent Level B suits: (A) a coverall style for law-enforcement officers; (B) an encapsulated style, which is not gastight; and (C) a military-designed two-piece garment worn by tactical officers. The respiratory protection is a rebreather style, which provides a four-hour air supply.

(A) (B) (C)

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Figure 27-11 This Level C ensemble protects against splash hazards and low toxicity materials. It is the use of the air purifying respirator that makes this ensemble Level C.

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Figure 27-12 The Level D ensemble is normal work clothing, this example includes Nomex coveralls, chemical gloves, safety glasses, and steel-toe shoes.

Limitations of Personal Protective Equipment

• Four basic limitations to protective clothing:– Heat stress– Mobility– Visibility– Communications problems

• Type of vapor barrier determines amount of heat stress

• Be aware of progression of heat stress

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Lessons Learned• Routes of entry and type of harm that

chemicals present vary• Chemicals present multiple hazards• Most chemicals present chronic

hazards, but acute hazards are also avoided

• SCBA offers a high level of protection• Responders have a fear of radiation,

but radiation is no different than other hazardous materials

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