Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances impact on reproductive health of firefighters

Project Information

INFERNO

Grant agreement ID: 101003355

DOI

10.3030/101003355

Project closed

EC signature date 23 April 2020

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2023

Funded under

• SPREADING EXCELLENCE AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Total cost

€ 156 980,64

EU contribution

€ 156 980,64

Coordinated by

Masarykova univerzita
Czechia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INFERNO (Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances impact on reproductive health of firefighters)

Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Firefighting activity poses a unique work environment wherein many reproductive hazards are encountered. Exposure to heat is an obvious reproductive hazard of firefighting, causing testicular heat stress. Additionally, firefighters are exposed to huge variety of chemicals yet the impact of chemical exposures, as a potential source of adverse fertility outcomes for firefighters, is unclear. Several chemicals commonly present during firefighting operations have shown reproductive toxicity in males, mediated through endocrine disruption activity or direct cytotoxicity. Whilst several of these chemicals may appear at the scene of fire in relation to combustion for example polycyclic hydrocarbons, others are released through extinguishing agents such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Fire departments and occupational health organizations are increasingly aware of these concerns and are taking steps to address them through improved safety protocols, better protective equipment, and ongoing research into the potential health effects of the profession, including impacts on fertility. Several studies have explored these concerns. Some has suggested that male firefighters may experience changes in sperm quality due to heat stress and exposure to chemicals. These changes could potentially affect fertility. However, the findings have not always been consistent across all studies, and more research was still needed to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the relationship between firefighting, exposure to chemicals in the firefighting environment, and fertility.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The INFERNO project investigated the influence of PFAS used in firefighting foams on male reproductive health. It's important to note that the impact of firefighting on fertility can vary based on factors such as the specific firefighting practices, the types of exposures, and individual health characteristics. Therefore, the INFERNO project was carefully designed to monitor the impact of PFAS containing fire-fighting foams used in firefighting practice on male fertility. Within the project through the collaboration with local firefighting department and infertility clinic we performed sampling followed by analysis of blood and semen in group of newly recruited firefighters before and after their first exposure to PFAS containing aqueous film-forming foams used for the suppression of hydrocarbon-based fires.

The project garnered substantial public attention as it was disseminated by a local radio station and TV channel.
https://brno.rozhlas.cz/chemicke-znecisteni-nezna-hranice-pouzivejme-selsky-rozum-a-snazme-se-omezit-8876964
https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1096902795-studio-6/223411010100125/cast/958651/
The project also engaged with relevant stakeholders, through occupational safety focused conference Hazmat Protect 2022. And major findings were presented at 34th Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (Sept 18-21, 2022) with following contribution Correlation between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in seminal plasma and semen quality parameters in firefighters.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

As firefighters are exposed during their service to PFAS to a much greater extent than the general population we evaluated the associations between occupational exposure to PFAS and their potential impact on semen quality. To monitor the exposure of PFAS in humans, the matrix of choice is predominantly blood. In the INFERNO project, we employed the human seminal plasma as an alternative matrix to blood to monitor for PFAS exposure. We developed and validated analytical method based on solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to detect selected PFAS in human seminal fluid. We screened in total for 16 different PFAS in seminal plasma commonly found in AFFF. The most abundant PFAS in the seminal plasma was perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) followed by perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). No significant associations between concentrations of PFOA, PFHxS, PFOS and sperm concentration and sperm motility was observed.

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