New Journal Article Examines Protection Provided by Firefighting Gloves
Firefighters face countless hazards on the job. While personal protective equipment, such as firefighting gloves, shields them from many cancer-causing chemicals, the chemicals can still find ways to contaminate their skin.
The Fire Safety Research Institute, part of UL Research Institutes, recently published a paper on this topic with our collaborators at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Illinois Fire Service Institute. The paper “Use of under gloves to assess pathways leading to contamination on firefighters’ hands” reports on research that examines the protection provided by firefighter gloves during operations and quantifies contamination to hands pre- and post-firefighting.
Assessing Firefighting Glove Protection Using Cotton Under Gloves
Researchers conducted a study with 23 firefighters who wore three separate sets of thin, white cotton gloves under typical firefighting gloves during each of these distinct phases: donning PPE, active firefighting, and doffing PPE. After each activity, researchers collected samples from the palm, finger, and thumb areas of the cotton under gloves. Then, they analyzed the samples for toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to measure the amount of contamination that had penetrated through the firefighters' gloves to their hands.
Most Contamination of Firefighting Gloves Occurs During Post-Firefighting Operations
Researchers found that firefighting gloves were relatively effective at minimizing PAH exposure on the hands during active firefighting operations, though some PAH contamination was still found. Nearly two-thirds of hand contamination occurred during doffing. Contamination in this phase was significantly higher on the thumb and finger than on the palm, suggesting that these more dexterous areas of the hand are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposure during equipment handling.
This study also produced several surprising results. Researchers found PAH contamination on the cotton under gloves during the donning phase, even though the firefighters' self-contained breathing apparatus had been cleaned and their turnout gear had been previously laundered.
Based on these findings, researchers recommend that the fire service should:
- Minimize contact with the exterior of PPE or any equipment that has been exposed to fireground contaminants,
- Doff PPE without touching the glove exterior, or with a partner who removes your gloves first and then carefully doffs their own to avoid contamination,
- Use disposable gloves during preliminary exposure reduction and while doffing remaining PPE, and
- Wash hands as soon as possible after handling firefighting PPE and equipment.
“Firefighting gloves are pretty effective at providing protection from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons when worn during firefighting operations. In this study, we not only demonstrated that protection but also showed that contamination of the hands can occur pre- and post-firefighting when firefighters don or doff their PPE or handle contaminated equipment, even if that PPE and equipment have been cleaned.”
—Richard Kesler, research engineer, FSRI
This study confirms that firefighting gloves effectively protect hands during active firefighting but demonstrates that substantial exposures can occur during gear removal. These findings highlight the importance of proper preliminary exposure reduction (or decontamination) protocols and hand hygiene to reduce firefighter health risks. They also support strategies to reduce PAH exposure in the fire service and underscore the need for following doffing best practices for minimizing chemical contamination. By examining these easily overlooked contamination pathways, the research advances our understanding of contamination risks in firefighting gear and offers practical, evidence-based solutions to enhance firefighter health.
This study was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters Grant program (EMW-2017-FP-00635) and made possible through an agreement with the CDC Foundation.
About the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH) is published to enhance the knowledge and practice of occupational and environmental hygiene and safety. The Journal provides a written medium for the communication of ideas, methods, processes, and research in the areas of occupational, industrial, and environmental hygiene; exposure assessment; engineering controls; occupational and environmental epidemiology, medicine, and toxicology; ergonomics; and other related disciplines.
