Reducing skin and ppe exposure risk

Decontamination of the skin and the PPE poses a unique challenge for wildland and WUI firefighters. 

The dangerous cocktail of compounds that contaminate your skin and gear required unique solutions and advanced protocols to ensure proper removal and reduced risk

We have worked to identify which compounds are causing the biggest problems for firefighters, where they are located, and how we can help reduce risk. This includes recommendation for types of detergents that work best for washing  wildland PPE, and best practices to help reduce dermal exposures. We are also working on new PPE with particulate barriers that can  reduce exposure

Below you can download an informational poster with recommendations on how to reduce dermal exposures, both short- and long-term solutions. We have also included a recent study commissioned from North Carolina State University comparing different detergents and their ability to remove cancer-causing substances.  

Stay tuned for updates on this work and more to come!