AHJ

Grenfell Firefighters – Serious Health Disorders Resulting From Smoke Inhalation Both Inside & Outside The Tower. Does Anybody Care ?!?!?

Posted by CJ Walsh

2025-01-10:  DOES Anybody Care ?  AHJ’s ?  Fire Service Administrations ?  Civil Society ?

Frontline Firefighters (and their long-term Health) are severely ill-treated as a disposable asset in far too many societies around the world … a shameful reality … completely and utterly unacceptable !!

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Sustainable Fire Engineering (SFE) facilitates the realization of a Safe, Resilient & Sustainable Built Environment for ALL

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Resilience: The ability to function reliably during normal conditions, to withstand, adapt to or absorb unusual disturbance, disruption or damage, and thereafter to quickly return to an enhanced state of function.

Does it not make the utmost sense, therefore … if there is a Fire in a #Building or #Facility … that healthy, disciplined, expertly trained … and properly equipped, protected and resourced (under competent leadership and management) … #Firefighters would arrive quickly at the #FireScene and effectively extinguish the #Fire before it causes too much damage to property and harm to people … thus enabling the rapid and economically-efficient re-commencement of that building’s / facility’s functioning ??

Firefighters are an Invaluable Social Asset in a Resilient Built Environment !

Firefighter Safety Must Urgently be Included as a Functional Requirement in ALL Building Fire Codes

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THE GRENFELL TOWER FRONTLINE FIREFIGHTERS

In its January 2025 issue, the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (JOEM) published the following Paper :

Grenfell Tower Fire – Toxic Effluents and Assessment of Firefighters’ Health Impacts

by Anna A. Stec, PhD ; David A. Purser, PhD ; and T. Richard Hull, PhD.

[ Click Title Above – PDF File, 175 Kb ]

Objective: This study assesses the health symptoms and longer-term health outcomes of Firefighters who attended the Grenfell Tower Fire in June 2017.

Methods: All available data sources were analysed, including databases published by the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, the Firefighter Cancer and Disease Registry, incident logs, and sickness reports up to 3 years post-fire.

Results: More than three times as many firefighters who reported exposure to smoke during the fire also reported digestive and respiratory diseases following the fire, compared with those not reporting exposure to smoke.  Other more complex relationships are reported among smoke exposure, immediate health symptoms, and longer-term health outcomes.

Conclusions: The incident’s urgency led many professional firefighters to operate without Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE), resulting in debilitating health effects.

Paper Introduction …

Recently, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer ( https://www.iarc.who.int ) classified the firefighting occupation as Carcinogenic to Humans – Group 1.  Studies show that the incidence and mortality of cancers and other diseases among firefighters are higher compared with the population they serve.  Recent data from UK Studies revealed that more than 4% of surveyed firefighters have received a cancer diagnosis.

Furthermore, the age-specific cancer rate was up to 323% higher for firefighters aged 35 to 39 years, when compared with the general population.

Firefighter exposure to fire effluents occurs through different phases of fire intervention (e.g. attack, knockdown) and in firefighters’ work environments, such as fire stations, vehicles, and firefighter turnout gear.  These residues may be inhaled or ingested via hand-to-mouth contact, depending on hygiene practices after firefighting.  Moreover, they have been detected on firefighters’ skin due to gear penetration, contact with contaminated gear, or contact with exposed skin areas such as the face and neck.

With the exception of the Fire Department of New York World Trade Centre Health Programme ( https://www.fdnywtcprogram.org ), there is no data on firefighters’ health symptoms from major building fires.  In this investigation, relationships have been identified between various long-term exposures to toxicants from fire and different health disorders.  For instance, exposure to fire effluents such as benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene oxide, and formaldehyde has been linked to myeloid leukaemia.  Similarly, prostate cancer has been associated with exposure to benzene and styrene.

Inhaling fire effluents such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide results in hypoxic stress, forcing the heart to exert extra effort during firefighters’ physical stress.  Also, inhalation and absorption into the bloodstream of ultra-fine soot particles enhance atherosclerosis and thrombosis.  Both effects can lead to cardiovascular diseases.  Exposure to asbestos, silica, and inorganic dust through inhalation is also believed to contribute to firefighters’ heightened risk of pulmonary diseases.

There is mounting evidence from both human and animal studies indicating that inhalation of air pollutants (carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, etc.) can also increase the risk of neurological diseases including neurodegenerative health and cognitive impairment.  Furthermore, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter have been linked to adverse respiratory outcomes.  The combined effects of frequent dehydration and chronic exposure to fire effluents may also synergistically damage the kidneys.  Certain metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, and lead can adversely affect multiple bodily systems, including the gastrointestinal tract; haematopoietic, cardiovascular, central and peripheral nervous systems; kidneys; and immune and reproductive systems, potentially leading to cancers.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry ( https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk ) was instructed to examine evidence relating to the circumstances in which 72 Victims lost their lives.  It was not instructed to consider any short and long-term health effects of the firefighters / other emergency responders, survivors of the fire who escaped from the Tower … or residents who lived, or still live, within the vicinity of the Tower.  The aim of this study was to collect and evaluate all available data from the Grenfell Fire, assessing firefighters’ self-reported exposure to fire smoke and heat, and physiological and toxicological health symptoms and outcomes related to their activities and the use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) during the first 20 hours of the Fire.

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POST-FIRE CONTAMINATED SOIL AROUND GRENFELL TOWER

Part-Map of London, in colour, showing the location of Grenfell Tower between Notting Hill, Shepherd's Bush and Ladbroke Grove ... and a very lightly shaded area, in red, within a deep red circle approximately 1 Km from the Tower ... which indicates where soil has been found to be contaminated by toxic effluents from the Fire back in 2017. At the bottom of this map, on the right, can be found a scale for distance: 0.5 Km relative to 0.5 Mile ... and, on the left, a thumbnail map of the whole city showing the area of concern.
Click to enlarge.

For Local Residents, especially Vulnerable Residents – What are the Short and Long-Term Adverse Health Effects Resulting from the Fire in June 2017 ?   It is now 2025 !

Does Anybody Care ?!?!?

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‘Forever Chemicals’ … PFAS CONTAMINATION – HIGH PRIORITY JOINT PRESENTATION

Large portions of this joint Presentation are concerned with Firefighter #Safety, Firefighter #PPE, and Firefighting #Foams …

U.S.A. National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health – 21 April 2023

Overview of Per and PolyFluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Activities and Considerations

by Miriam Calkins, PhD, MS, Research Industrial Hygienist – CDC / NIOSH / DFSE / FRB

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NIOSH Research, Technical Support & Strategies

by Susan Moore, PhD, Associate Director for Science, Co-Coordinator Public Safety Sector, Co-Coordinator Personal Protective Technology – CDC / NIOSH / NPPTL

[ Click Either Title Above – PDF File, 7.03 Mb ]

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OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES

  • New York City WTC 9-11 Health Registry.  Established in 2002 to monitor the health (physical, mental, psychological) of any person directly exposed to the WTC 9-11 Fires & Building Collapses … https://www.nyc.gov/site/911health/index.page
  • World Health Organization / International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).  Monograph Volume 132 – Occupational Exposure As A Firefighter … https://publications.iarc.fr/615
Click to enlarge.

WHO / IARC Monograph Volume 132 – Occupational Exposure As A Firefighter

Click to enlarge.

NIOSH (USA) Graphic Breakdown of Firefighter Safety

AND … Better Design of Buildings & Facilities for Firefighter Safety ?!?!?

In Addition to ‘Access’ … Firefighter Safety Must Urgently be Included as a Functional Requirement in ALL Building #FireCodes

  • Findings from a 2010-2015 NIOSH (USA) Study of Cancer among nearly 30,000 Firefighters active between 1950 and 2009.  Published July 2016.  Download PDF File (118 Kb).

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#SFE #SustainableFireEngineering #Reality #Reliability #Redundancy #Resilience #Safety #FFsafety #Health #FFhealth #Welfare #FFwelfare #GrenfellTowerFire #GrenfellTowerInquiry #SmokeInhalation #RPE #SCBA #ToxicEffluents #WHO #IARC #WTC911 #FDNY #WTChealthProgram #LocalResidents #VulnerablePeople #FireSafety4ALL #HarmfulHealthImpacts #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Cancer #FirefighterTurnoutGear #FirefightingFoams #JOEM #AHJ #FireServiceAdministrations #CivilSociety #Sustainability #SIA #SustainabilityImpactAssessment #SocialWellbeing4ALL

CoronaVirus / CoVID-19 Emergency – Frontline Information

Posted by CJ Walsh

2020-03-29 …

Essential Considerations for National Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ’s):  This Planet is Our Common Home – Be a Good Neighbour to Other Countries (Cuba is a Good Example, USA is a Bad Example) … Global Solidarity & Multilateral Collaboration in Co-Operation with the World Health Organization (WHO) … Act Fast … Perfection is the Enemy of the Good … The Precautionary Principle … Test-Test-Test … Return Test Results within 24 Hours … Trace Contacts within the Next 24 Hours … Collect, Collate and Openly Share Reliable Data & Statistics … Vulnerable People Require Equitable Safety Measures … Uphold and Protect Human & Social Rights.

[ Vulnerable People: Those people – in a community, society or culture – who are most at risk of being physically, psychologically or sociologically wounded, hurt, damaged, injured, or killed … and include, for example, People with Disabilities, Young Children, People with Health Conditions, Frail Older People, Women in Late Pregnancy, Refugees, Migrants, Prisoners, the Poor, and Homeless. ]

Essential Considerations for Each Person in a Community:  Wash Hands Often and Properly (see Video below) … Wear a Mask in Outdoor and Indoor Public Spaces (see WHO Guidance below) … Social Separation / Physical Distancing … Be Careful, Always … Pay Attention to Your Mental Health (see UN Policy Brief below).

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First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China

2020 Handbook of CoVID-19 Prevention & Treatment   (Download PDF File, 23.56 MB)

The First Affiliated Hospital has treated 104 patients who tested positive for CoVID-19 in 50 days.  It has achieved zero deaths in patients diagnosed, zero patients misdiagnosed, and zero infections in medical staff.  Its experts documented real treatment experience when combating the virus, 24 hours a day, and quickly published this Handbook.

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CoronaVirus / CoVID-19 World Map – John Hopkins University, USA

A global view of Cases from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at the University.

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World Health Organization (WHO)

Human Rights – Key to the International CoronaVirus / CoVID-19 Response   (Download PDF File, 271 Kb )

Public Health Emergencies often lead to Stigma, Discrimination and Abuse towards certain communities and social groups, or affected people.  Within the context of CoVID-19, this has already happened … with the disease being recklessly and maliciously associated with a specific population or nationality.

Independent Oversight & Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme

WHO-IOAC Interim Report on WHO’s Response to CoVID-19 ~ January-April 2020   (Download PDF File, 133 Kb)

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Global MediXchange For Combating CoVID-19 (GMCC)

Established to facilitate on-line communication and collaboration internationally, as well as to provide Frontline Medical Teams around the world with the necessary communication channels to share practical experience about fighting, controlling and overcoming the pandemic.

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European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC)

An Agency of the European Union (EU) … ECDC is closely monitoring the CoVID-19 Outbreak, providing Public Health Guidance and advice on Response Activities to EU Member States and the EU Commission.

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European Union (EU) CoVID-19 Data Portal

The European Commission, together with several Partners, launched this Platform on 20 April 2020 … to enable the rapid collection and sharing of available Research Data.  The Platform, part of the ERAvsCorona Action Plan (download PDF File, 153 Kb), is a significant effort to support Researchers in Europe and around the World in the fight against the CoronaVirus pandemic.

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World Health Organization (WHO)

2020 Disability Considerations During The CoVID-19 Outbreak   (Download PDF File, 127 Kb)

Vulnerable People, such as Those with Activity Limitations (#PwAL) or Disabilities (#PwD), are more impacted by #CoronaVirus/#CoVID19.  These impacts can be mitigated if simple Self-Protection Measures are taken.

[ Support Information: a) People with Activity Limitations / Personnes à Performance Réduites ;  b) U.N. 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has now been ratified by most countries in the world but, generally, implementation still ranges from poor to non-existent. ]

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U.S. International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)

2020 Fire Service/EMS Guide For CoronaVirus/CoVID-19 Planning & Response   (Download PDF File, 324 Kb)

As Fire Departments and local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ’s) continue planning to respond to CoronaVirus/CoVID-19 occurrences in their communities, the IAFC Coronavirus Task Force has developed a guide to identify best practices … and key recommendations which are based largely on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC – https://www.cdc.gov/) and the World Health Organization (WHO – https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019).  When planning for CoVID-19, Fire Chiefs must also be sure to collaborate with local Stakeholders, both individuals and organizations !

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World Health Organization (WHO) – 5 June 2020

Advice on the Use of Masks in the Context of CoronaVirus / CoVID-19   (Download PDF File, 519 Kb)

Colour image showing the Protection Efficiency of various Mask Types.  FOR A GENERAL INDICATION ONLY.  Click to enlarge.  For more information about N95 Respirators and Surgical Masks (Face Masks), go to the U.S. Food & Drugs Administration – https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-and-surgical-masks-face-masks

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How To Properly Wash Your Hands !   (Video / MP4 File)

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United Nations Policy Brief – 13 May 2020

CoronaVirus / CoVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health   (Download PDF File, 499 Kb)

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#CoronaVirus #CoVid19 #MedicalTeams #Firefighters #FireChiefs #ChiefFireOfficers #EMS #FFsafety #FFhealth #FFwelfare #WHO #CDC #RealTreatmentExperience #IAFC #GMCC #ZhejiangUniversity #PRC #China #USA #FirstAffiliatedHospital #Pandemic #Stakeholders #GlobalSolidarity #SFE #SIA #SocialResilience #Sustainability #MaskProtection #FDA #JohnHopkinsUniversity #WorldMap #Disability #PrecautionaryPrinciple #unCRPD #HumanRights #VulnerablePeople #NobodyLeftBehind #Stigma #Discrimination #Abuse #HumanDignity #AHJ #MentalHealth

Successful Elaboration of ‘Fire Safety for All’ in China’s Bay Area ~ Hong Kong & Macau !

Posted by CJ Walsh

2019-07-26:  This time last month, in June … I was visiting a hot and humid Hong Kong and Macau, only 1 hour apart on a sea ferry, in China’s Bay Area … to make a Keynote CPD Presentation on Fire Safety for All – Nobody Left Behind ! in the Hong Kong Institute of Architects … and following that up with a full morning Workshop and an afternoon Plenary Presentation at the large 2019 Rehabilitation International Asia-Pacific Region Conference, in Macau, later in the week.

2019 Rehabilitation International Asia-Pacific Conference (Macau) – 26 to 28 June

The Theme of this 3-Day Conference, in #Macau, was Together, Leaving No One Behind, In Disability-Inclusive & Rights-Based Progress.  Attended by 1,500 delegates from 30 different countries, the event also gathered together more than 250 international experts, practitioners, academics and researchers from all over the world.

Two Exhibitions, visited by 6,000 people, were organized alongside the Conference: 1) ‘Facilitation and Mobility Aids + Assistive Technologies’ … and 2) ‘Art’.

It is worthwhile noting  that #China ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (#CRPD) on 1 August 2008 … but has not yet signed, never mind ratified, the Convention’s Optional Protocol … a clear signal of current political intent which, hopefully, will change in the not-too-distant future.  Every year, Hong Kong and Macau submit reports to Beijing regarding CRPD compliance status and implementation.

Colour photograph showing CJ Walsh, as he addresses a Plenary Session on Fire Safety for All – Nobody Left Behind ! at the 2019 Rehabilitation International Asia-Pacific Region Conference, in Macau.  Click to enlarge.

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Colour image showing the Matrix of ‘Fire Safety for All’ … a Priority Theme of Sustainable Fire Engineering … which is particularly concerned with the fire safety of #PwAL’s (People with Activity Limitations), but also with #PwD’s (People with Disabilities).  After the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire, in London, it is important that these concerns stretch to include the #Poor, #Refugees and #Migrants.  Click to enlarge.

Without being able to use a #Lift/#Elevator for Fire Evacuation in a building … there is No Fire Safety for All !

In a developing fire incident, People with Activity Limitations must be provided with a safe, alternative evacuation route – just like all other building users – which is a Fundamental Principle of all Fire Engineering.  However … just one #User/#Occupant Fire Evacuation Lift/Elevator in a building is an empty, meaningless, Token Gesture !

Colour photograph showing the participants from 30 different countries who attended the 2019 Rehabilitation International Asia-Pacific Region Conference.  The venue was The Venetian Macau Hotel.  Click to enlarge.

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Fire Safety for All must be considered at the start of the Design Process.  Colour image explaining how #Buildings must remain #Serviceable, not merely Structurally Stable, for a minimum Required Period of Time.  Click to enlarge.

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‘Fire Safety for All’ on Macau TV News … Friday night, 28 June 2019 … my friend and colleague, Ar Joseph Kwan (Architect & Accessibility Consultant based in Hong Kong), is the person being interviewed …

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Hong Kong Institute of Architects CPD Seminar – 24 June 2019

Continuing Professional Development (#CPD) is an important aspect of Ethical Architectural Practice.  Arriving drenched in a heavy rain downpour on the Monday evening … I was not surprised, therefore, to find that this Seminar was well attended by local architects.  Representatives of HK Authorities Having Jurisdiction (#AHJ’s), and Local Fire Services, as well as senior personnel involved in the development of the HK Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings and the HK Barrier Free Design Manual were active participants in the panel discussion afterwards.

Colour image showing the Title Page of CJ Walsh’s Keynote CPD Presentation on ‘Fire Safety for All – Nobody Left Behind !’.  This Page also signals how ‘Fire Safety for All’ is integrated into the wider context of Sustainable Design.  Click to enlarge.

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Colour photograph showing CJ Walsh, as he makes a Keynote CPD Presentation on ‘Fire Safety for All – Nobody Left Behind !’ in the offices of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.  Click to enlarge.

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