Summary
Exposure to trauma, high stress situations and sleep problems are well-known factors affecting the mental health of firefighters. Little is known about the link between firefighters’ exposure to fire and mental health problems. The UK’s Fire Pollution Study examined the health of firefighters and their potential exposure to pollution. Participants were asked to answer 64 questions online anonymously. Logistic regression analyzes assessed associations between self-reported mental health problems and proxy indicators of pollution exposure.
The results showed that firefighters who detect soot in their nose/throat more than one day after going to a fire (OR) = 1.8, 1.4-2.4) and those who remain in personal protective equipment (PPE) for more than 4 hours after the fire (OR = 1.9, 1.2–3.1), almost twice as likely to report a mental health disorder. Significant discomfort rates were also observed for the three outcomes of interest (anxiety, depression, and/or any mental health problem) among firefighters who take PPE home to use clean up. 61% of firefighters reported sleep problems. These firefighters were 4.2 times more likely to report mental health problems (OR = 4.2, 3.7–4.9), 2.9 times more likely to report anxiety (OR = 2.9, 2.4–3.5) and 2.3 times more likely to report depression. depression (OR = 2.3, 1.9–2.8) compared to firefighters who did not report sleep problems. Effective pollution control within the UK fire and rescue service, and the well-being of firefighters, can play an important role in protecting the mental health of firefighters.
Introduction
Mental health problems can be caused by a combination of psychological, environmental, biological and chemical factors. Currently, research on the mental health of firefighters focuses on psychological factors such as direct exposure to trauma1 or work stress2, revealing that firefighters experience more risk for suicide3, depression1,2 and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)4. This research read the results of other professionals, e.g. Suddenly the 카지노사이트 주소 fire of a crop, sleeping sleeping: and physical and / or emotional and health care workers. However, a little is known about the relationship between fire-on-fire shows and health services and health.
Smoke is a mixture of different chemicals with different toxicity and behavior 6. A growing body of research has identified a number of different types of fire that contaminate firehouses and fire extinguishers ‘PPE’. High levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) 7,8, polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs and PBDD/Fs) 9 or gas-phase halogenated flame retardants7 have also been reported in the blood and firefighters’ urine10 – suggesting multiple routes of chronic exposure11,12,13,14,15,16.
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Many aspects of secondhand smoke have been linked to mental health problems. For example, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry have found that exposure to neurotoxic chemicals such as mercury and lead, or endocrine disruptors such as polychlorinated biphenyls compounds, PBDEs or poly- and perfluoroalkyl English (PFAS) , can lead to hormonal disruption and / or neuroendocrine disruption, leading to conditions such as depression and anxiety17.
In addition, suffering from life-changing, painful and/or chronic physical health conditions (eg. The UK Fire Pollution Inquiry revealed a number of practices that would increase firefighter exposure to pollution and/or encourage the return of pollution to the workplace/home18.
This article examines one of the many possible health consequences of such an expansion, linking indicators of pollution to self-reported mental health problems among UK firefighters (see also Wolffe et al. 18). By examining the mental health risks for a range of pollution control measures, the research provides an interim approach to quickly identify areas where the UK’s fire and rescue services can find the best. Resources to improve the occupational health of firefighters.
Research Design
The methods used for the analysis and analysis of the results are detailed in Wolffe et al.18 and are further summarized in S2 Supplementary File. The University of Central Lancashire Ethics Committee provided ethical approval for this research and all research was conducted in accordance with relevant ethics and standards. Briefly, all currently working UK firefighters (ie excluding retirees) were eligible to take part in the survey and were recruited to participate via email from the Fire Brigades Union (including members make up 75% of total UK electricity use18,19). ). Firefighters were asked to respond anonymously to the online survey. Consent was obtained from all participants.
The survey, which lasted about 20 minutes, consisted of 64 questions covering six main topics (Tables S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6): demographics, PPE, workplace pollution, personal pollution, attitude/awareness and training, and health. (Supplementary file S1). Branch rings were used to guide participants in this survey based on answers to previous questions.
Mental Health Problems
Firefighters can select a number of positions specified in the list, as shown in fig. 1 in another file S1. The analyzes conducted in this article specifically examine any mental health conditions (ie those reporting at least one of the listed mental health conditions), anxiety, or depression. Analysis
Comprehensive case studies were completed for all firefighters who responded to questions about mental health and exposure to hazardous materials.
Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between mental health problems and the potential for exposure to fire, adjusting for non-hazardous and confounding factors considered in the analysis. of work, sleep. stress20, excessive alcohol consumption21,22, smoking23, infrequent exercise24, having a sedentary job (such as work-related stress25), exposure to heat (constant exposure to trauma26), poor physical health another physical condition (i.e. diabetes27,28, high blood pressure29,30, cancer31,32 or reproductive problems33,34,35) and having another mental health condition36 (for the diagnosis of depression and anxiety).
Analyzes were performed using the statsmodels module for Python 337 and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0.1.1. Note that firefighters reporting only attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or only autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were excluded from the logistic regression analysis, because these conditions represent developmental disabilities, appears for the first time in childhood and is often investigated in the beginning. exposure to pollution. , more than the exposure that firefighters receive as adults during their careers.
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Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals are presented as a way to evaluate statistical differences in the prevalence of mental health problems between different demographic groups, or between (with strength) groups with a high risk rather than a low risk of exposure. pollution.
Results and Analysis
A total of 10,649 firefighters responded to the questionnaire, representing approximately 24% of the total UK firefighter workforce (Wolffe et al.18). Participant numbers were analyzed in Wolffe et al. 18, but it is different in English firefighters38 about gender (p> 0.05), but it means that young people, firefighters and small ethnic firefighters (p < 0.05) 18.
About 19% (n=2019) of firefighters reported having at least one mental health problem. Figure 1 shows the range and frequency of mental health conditions selected by firefighters, which is compared to conditions common to the general English population (where possible3). Note that firefighters may choose more than one mental health problem. Self-reported anxiety was the most common among firefighters (about 12%), followed by depression (about 10%) and post-traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD) (about 5%), as shown in fig. 1. The rate of self-anxiety and depression in those who are burning is also higher than the English (Figure 1, the difference in the test size p < 0.05).
