Cancer-Causing Contaminants: Why Firefighters Need to Take Extra Care of Protective Footwear

Firefighters may be exposed to high levels of toxic substances during and after a fire, as cancer-causing chemicals remain on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and elsewhere at the seat of the blaze.

Fires produce a cocktail of toxic, irritant and carcinogenic chemicals in the form of aerosols, dusts, fibres, smoke and fumes or gases and vapours, thereby increasing cancer risks and lung deterioration. Decontamination and cleaning procedures en route to, during and after a fire can reduce, minimise or eliminate exposure hazards.

Impact of hazardous substances

Many fire combustion products, including hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic compounds, metals such as cadmium and chromium and acids and soot are hazardous to firefighters. These substances can become embedded in footwear, penetrate the inner layer and enter the body.

In addition, particulates and other combustion products can reduce the flame resistance of footwear and its ability to repel electricity. Wearers must clean their footwear thoroughly to reduce the risk of long-term harm from hazardous substances present in fire combustion products or chemicals.

Wearers exposed to hazardous chemicals and pathogens need to follow the relevant cleaning and decontamination precautions in line with legal regulations to limit exposure and risk of harm to themselves and others. Anyone involved in the handling, sorting, bagging, transporting and laundering of contaminated footwear must wear utility gloves and appropriate PPE to prevent exposure.

When to clean and decontaminate boots

Wearers should clean their footwear at least every six months or as soon as possible after contamination or exposure to smoke, blood or bodily fluids, hazardous substances or hazardous liquid chemicals. If exposure has occurred, workers should stop using their boots until cleaned and disinfect them.

How to clean and decontaminate boots

The Do’s

*Use protective gloves when handwashing HAIX footwear in a utility sink with warm water and a wet shoe brush, avoiding scrubbing because this can cause abrasion of the boots

*Use mild washing up liquid and water with a temperature of less than 110°F

*Choose a disinfectant spray with an EPA 4 toxicity rating that does not use alcohol, bleach or other toxic chemicals

*Remove and wash the insole in a machine with cold water on a delicate cycle

*Air-dry boots on a rack to provide maximum air exposure and reduce drying time

*Clean HAIX footwear separately from other items to avoid the possible spread of chemical contamination or hazardous combustion products

*For footwear with a protector (such as the HAIX Fire Eagle, Fire Hero and Airpower XR91 variants), loosen and then clean the protector

The Don’ts

*Don’t use saddle soaps or soaps that contain fats

*Don’t use bleach or chlorinated detergents as even small amounts of these detergents can reduce the boots’ protective qualities

*Don’t dry footwear in direct/indirect sunlight, fluorescent light or a tumble dryer or in front of open windows, hot ovens or radiators because ‘fast drying’ will change the shape of the shoe

*Don’t use high-velocity power washers or pressure hoses for washing footwear. These tools can severely damage the raw materials and seams, compromising the protection of the footwear

Simon Ash, HAIX UK’s sales manager, informed Fire Safety Matters: “Firefighters exercise courage in times of fear, heroism in times of danger and dedication when their communities need them most. Being in the profession of helping others means that their lives often rest in the balance. While nothing can 100% guarantee the elimination of toxic chemicals from footwear, we fervently hope that our Best Practice guidance will help to protect firefighters while they continue to protect ours.”

About HAIX

Based in Bavaria, Germany, HAIX is a functional footwear specialist with a worldwide reputation as a “safe brand”. Wherever people need high performance footwear that will not let them down, HAIX has become the brand of choice in Europe, North America and Asia.

At the company’s headquarters and main sales office, HAIX has established dedicated R&D, design and marketing departments. In the high-tech research and test lab, HAIX engineers develop new functional features and set new trends and standards for safety footwear.

For the production of its top quality functional boots, HAIX operates factories in Germany and Croatia where the business has built one of the most modern shoe manufacturing plants in the world.

The HAIX Group has set up a sales office in Lexington, Kentucky and currently employs more than 1,300 people all over the world. In 2018, the business produced more than 1.2 million pairs of boots.

*For more information visit the HAIX Group website at www.haix.co.uk