Ann Occup Environ Med.  2013 ;25(1):36.

Acute Symptoms in Firefighters who Participated in Collection Work after the Community Hydrogen Fluoride Spill Accident

• Cho SY
• Woo KH
• Kim JS
• Yoon SY
• Na JY
• Yu JH
• Kim YB

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to analyze the relationship between clinical status and work characteristics of firefighters and other public officers who engaged on collection duties in the site of the hydrogen fluoride spill that occurred on September 27, 2012, in Gumi City, South Korea.
METHODS
We investigated the clinical status, personal history, and work characteristics of the study subjects and performed physical examination and several clinical examinations, including chest radiography, echocardiography, pulmonary function test, and blood testing in 348 firefighters, police officers, volunteer firefighters, and special warfare reserved force who worked at the hydrogen fluoride spill area.
RESULTS
The subjects who worked near the accident site more frequently experienced eye symptoms (p = 0.026), cough (p = 0.017), and headache (p = 0.003) than the subjects who worked farther from the accident site. The longer the working hours at the accident area, the more frequently the subjects experienced pulmonary (p = 0.027), sputum (p = 0.043), and vomiting symptoms (p = 0.003). The subjects who did not wear respiratory protective devices more frequently experienced dyspnea than those who wore respiratory protective devices (p = 0.013). In the pulmonary function test, the subjects who worked near the accident site had a higher decease in forced vital capacity than the subjects who worked farther from the site (p = 0.019); however, no statistical association was found between serum calcium/phosphate level, echocardiography result, chest radiographic result, and probation work characteristics.
CONCLUSIONS
The subjects who worked near the site of the hydrogen fluoride spill, worked for an extended period, or worked without wearing respiratory protective devices more frequently experienced upper/lower respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological symptoms. Further follow-up examination is needed for the workers who were exposed to hydrogen fluoride during their collection duties in the chemical plant in Gumi City.

Keyword

Hydrofluoric acid; Chemical hazard release; Firefighters

MeSH Terms

Chemical Hazard Release
Cough
Dyspnea
Echocardiography
Firefighters*
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Headache
Hematologic Tests
Humans
Hydrofluoric Acid*
Hydrogen*
Physical Examination
Plants
Police
Radiography
Radiography, Thoracic
Republic of Korea
Respiratory Function Tests
Respiratory Protective Devices
Sputum
Thorax
Vital Capacity
Vomiting
Hydrofluoric Acid
Hydrogen