ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Characterize occupational cancer risk perceptions and attitudes toward cancer prevention practices among firefighters in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted in June 2019 among firefighters from three fire departments. Themes were inductively created using a qualitative descriptive approach. RESULTS: Thirty-seven firefighters were interviewed with a group mean age of 36.2â±â10.3âyears, of which 97.3% were male, and 37.1% worked at least 10âyears. Six themes emerged: 1) availability of personal protective equipment (PPE); 2) toxic exposure during fire suppression; 3) work-related stress; 4) lack of workplace health promotion activities; 5) Dominican culture impacts medical checkups; and 6) expensive medical copays limits healthcare access. CONCLUSION: Dominican firefighters are willing to adopt cancer prevention practices, however organizational barriers (ie, PPE availability, cultural barriers, and health promotion practices) limit engagement.
Subject(s)
Firefighters , Neoplasms , Occupational Exposure , Adult , Dominican Republic , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasms/etiology , Neoplasms/prevention & control , Occupational Exposure/adverse effects , Occupational Exposure/prevention & control , Personal Protective Equipment , Qualitative ResearchABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Characterize objective measurements of carcinogenic exposure using passive sampling silicone-based wristbands among Dominican firefighters. METHODS: Firefighters from a metropolitan fire service in the Dominican Republic were asked to wear a silicone-based wristband during one typical 24-hour shift. A pre- and post-shift survey collected work shift characteristics. Wristbands were processed for the type and quantity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a family of known carcinogenic compounds. RESULTS: Fifteen firefighters wore a wristband, of which 73.3% responded to a fire with an average of 3.7 calls during the shift. Total PAH exposure was significantly higher among firefighters who responded to a fire versus firefighters with no fire during their shift (261 parts per billion [ppb] vs 117âppb, Pâ=â0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Silicone-based wristbands as objective passive samplers documented exposure to carcinogenic compounds during a typical 24-hour firefighter shift.
