Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Assessment of urinary metals following exposure to a large vegetative fire, New Mexico, 2000

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 14, pages 120–128 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction: In May 2000, a vegetative fire burned 47,000 acres in northern New Mexico, including 7500 acres of land administered by the Los Alamos National Laboratory. We evaluated potential human exposures from the fire. Methods: We surveyed two populations (firefighters and the general population) in four cities for urine heavy metal concentrations. Reference concentrations were based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Multivariate linear regression assessed the association of urinary metal concentrations with smoke exposure. We also performed isotopic analysis of uranium and cesium on a subset of specimens. Results: A total of 92 firefighters and 135 nonfirefighters participated. In both populations, urinary nickel, cesium, chromium, and uranium concentrations were greater than expected compared with NHANES III reference values. No values required immediate medical follow-up. Regression analysis demonstrated that for National Guard members, arsenic and cadmium levels were significantly related to smoke exposure, and for firefighters, cesium and arsenic levels were significantly related to exposure; however, only for cesium in National Guard members was this association in the positive direction. Isotopic analysis demonstrated that the cesium and uranium were naturally occurring. Conclusions: Some people had spot urine metal concentrations above nationally derived reference values, and values for some metals were associated with smoke exposure. These associations had little public health or clinical importance. Studies of exposures resulting from vegetative fires are difficult, and careful consideration should be given to the technical and communication processes at the outset of a fire exposure investigation. Recommendations for future investigations include testing as soon as possible during or after a fire, and early clinical consultation with a medical toxicologist.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention NCHS. Plan and operation of the third national health and nutrition examination survey, 1988–94, Atlanta, 1994. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/sr1_32.pdf [cited 15 December 2000].

  • Chen H.P., Paschal D.C., Miller D.T., and Morrow J.C . Determination of total and inorganic mercury in whole blood by on-line digestion with flow injection. Atomic Spectrosc 1998: 19: 176–179.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghio A.J., and Samet J.M . Metals and air pollution particles. In: Holgate S.T., Samet J.M., Koren J.H., and Maynard R.L., (Eds.). Air Pollution and Health. Academic Press, New York, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawthorne S.B., Miller D.J., Barkley R.M., and Krieger M.S . Identification of methoxylated phenols as candidate tracers for atmospheric wood smoke pollution. Environ Sci Technol 1988: 22: 1191–1196.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hawthorne S.B., Miller D.J., Langenfeld J.J., and Krieger M.S . PM-10 high volume concentration and quantitation of semi- and nonvolatile phenols, methoxylated phenols, alkanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from winter urban air and their relationship to wood smoke emissions. Environ Sci Technol 1992: 26: 2252–2262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Los Alamos National Laboratory. Fire damaged facilities list — 08/04/00. Available: http://www.lanl.gov/worldview/news/fire/frc.shtml [cited 15 May 2001], 2001.

  • Los Alamos National Laboratory. A special edition of the SWEIS yearbook: wildfire 2000. Document LA-UR-00-3471, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2002.

  • McQuillan D., and Montes R . Ground-water Geochemistry: Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico. New Mexico Environment Department, Ground Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, NM, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogata N., Matsushima N., and Shibata T . Pharmacokinetics of wood creosote: glucuronic acid and sulfate conjugation of phenolic compounds. Pharmacology 1995: 51: 195–204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paschal D.C., Ting B.G., Morrow J.C., Pirkle J.L., Caldwell, K.L., Miller, D.T., Sampson E.J., Jackson, R.L. Trace metals in urine of United States Residents: Reference Range Concentrations. Environmental Research 1998: 76(1): 53–59.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Piotrowski J.K . Evaluation of exposure to phenol: absorption of phenol vapour in the lungs and through the skin and excretion of phenol in urine. Br J Ind Med 1971: 28: 172–178.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Reinhardt T.E., Ottmar R.D., and Hallett M.J . Guide to monitoring smoke exposure of wildland firefighters. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-448. US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 1999.

  • Roels H.A., Van Assche F.J., Oversteyns M., De Groof M., Lauwerys R.R., and Lison D . Reversibility of microproteinuria in cadmium workers with incipient tubular dysfunction after reduction of exposure. Am J Ind Med 1997: 31: 645–652.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • US Environmental Protection Agency. National emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants: subpart B: underground uranium mines. Available: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/neshaps/subpartb/index.html [cited 30 April 2002], 2001.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA

    Mitchell I Wolfe & Joshua A Mott

  2. Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA

    Mitchell I Wolfe, Joshua A Mott & Stephen Redd

  3. New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico, USA

    Ronald E Voorhees & C Mack Sewell

  4. Division of Laboratory Sciences, Emergency Response and Air Toxicants Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA

    Dan Paschal

  5. Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Radiation Studies Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA

    Charles M Wood

  6. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    Patrick E McKinney

  7. New Mexico Poison Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    Patrick E McKinney

Authors
  1. Mitchell I Wolfe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joshua A Mott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ronald E Voorhees
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C Mack Sewell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dan Paschal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Charles M Wood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Patrick E McKinney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Stephen Redd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mitchell I Wolfe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wolfe, M., Mott, J., Voorhees, R. et al. Assessment of urinary metals following exposure to a large vegetative fire, New Mexico, 2000. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 14, 120–128 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500299

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500299

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links