Avram Gold

Air contaminants encountered by firefighters

The concentrations of eight air contaminants suspected of causing acute and chronic health problems for firefighters were measured in over 200 fires in the City of Boston using a personal air sampler. Threatening concentrations of both carbon monoxide and acrolein were found in a small proportion of the fires. Less hazardous levels of hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide were also noted. Benzene was found in most fires, but at concentrations well below those expected to cause acute injury. The air sampling data have application in treatment of smoke inhalation victims, development of firefighting strategies and selection of respiratory protection devices.

Exposure of firefighters to toxic air contaminants.

A personal sampling apparatus for firefighters was developed to sample the fire atmosphere for CO, CO2, O2, NO2, HCI, HCN and pariculate content. Two fire companies made ninety successful sample runs during structural fires. CO presented a potential acute hazard and particulate concentrations were high. HCN was detected at low levels in half the samples. HCI was detected in only eight samples but on two occasions exceeded 100 ppm. CO2 and NO2 levels and O2 depression do not appear to represent significant hazards.

A Solid Sorbent for Crotonaldehyde in Air

The purpose of this study was to determine whether molecular sieves could be used as a solid sorbent for sampling crotonaldehyde vapors. A simple dynamic dilution apparatus generated concentrations of crotonaldehyde vapors which were sampled with molecular sieve sampling tubes and a constant flow sampler. Laboratory sampling demonstrated quantitative trapping and recovery, and stability of stored samples. Although crotonaldehyde break-through times are decreased by water vapor, it has been demonstrated that sub-ppm levels of volatile aldehydes can be determined under field conditions of high humidity. Further work is needed to quantify the maximum allowable sample volume for crotonaldehyde under such field conditions.

MUTAGENICITY AND METABOLISM OF CYCLOPENTA(cd)PYRENE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mutagenicity and metabolism of cyclopenta(cd)pyrene (CPP). Cyclopenta(cd)pyrene is a mutagenic and carcinogenic non-alternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) without a bay region. The high degree of localization and chemical reactivity of the C(3)-C(4) bond suggested that it would be a likely site for enzymatic epoxidation yielding the 3, 4-oxide as a primary metabolite. The carbonium ion from oxide opening via C(3)-O bond breakage is identical by the Huckel approximation to the carbonium ion thought to be involved in the biological activity of benzo(a)pyrene-7, 8-diol-9, 10-oxide. Therefore, it was predicted that the 3, 4-oxide was the metabolite responsible for the mutagenic activity of CPP. The synthesis of CPP-3, 4-oxide and verification of its potent mutagenicity by the Ames test in the absence of enzymatic activation has been reported. The chapter discusses the identification of the cis and trans, 3, 4-dihydrodioIs as hydrolysis products of the epoxide. Isolation and identification of these diols supports the predicted stability of the C(3) carbonium ion and the role of the epoxide as a mutagen. In addition, the chapter discusses the identification of optically active trans-3, 4-dihydrodiol as the major metabolite CPP of rat liver microsomes prepared from 3-methylcholanthrene pretreated rats.