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Effects of pre‐fire age and health status on vulnerability to incapacitation and death from exposure to carbon monoxide and smoke irritants in Rosepark fire incident victims
Author(s) -
Purser David A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
fire and materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-1018
pISSN - 0308-0501
DOI - 10.1002/fam.2393
Subject(s) - smoke , medicine , environmental health , poison control , tobacco smoke , occupational safety and health , toxicology , chemistry , pathology , biology , organic chemistry
Summary Age‐related decline and illness increase susceptibility to smoke and toxic fire gases, with incapacitation and death likely for lower exposures. Carbon monoxide (CO) in non‐burned fire fatalities as %COHb indicates the fatal ‘dose’ of toxic effluents (including CO and other toxic species). The elderly and infirm should be overcome earlier during a fire, with lower post‐mortem blood %COHb levels than younger fatalities. The Rosepark care home incident involved 18 elderly casualties (average age 85 years, range 61–99) with a variety of illnesses. Post‐mortem reports and health records provided %COHb concentrations at death or time of rescue, age and pre‐fire health status. To examine effects of health status on susceptibility, heart, circulation, lungs and general health conditions were classified on a 0–5 severity scale for each condition. Scores for each subject were plotted against age or %COHb and examined for trends. No increase in susceptibility to incapacitation was found for survivors. %COHb in fatalities (range 48–82% average 63% COHb) was similar to published levels for young adults (average 61% COHb). There was no increasing susceptibility with age or severity of lung or ‘other health’ conditions, but some trend with severity of cardiovascular disease, especially heart disease (statistically significant 5% level). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.