Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances impact on reproductive health of firefighters

Projektinformationen

INFERNO

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101003355

DOI

10.3030/101003355

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 23 April 2020

Startdatum 1 September 2021

Enddatum 31 August 2023

Finanziert unter

• SPREADING EXCELLENCE AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Gesamtkosten

€ 156 980,64

EU-Beitrag

€ 156 980,64

Koordiniert durch

Masarykova univerzita
Czechia

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

Berichtszeitraum: 2021-09-01 bis 2023-08-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

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.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

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.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

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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