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Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 Jun 30. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.

Water pollution is one of the most important environmental challenges and also one of the main causes of death in the world. Transporting oil products on roads by trucks and their accidents lead to the release of these chemicals into the environment, resulting in water resources pollution. Thus, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the risk assessment of the water resources pollution in the road of Sanandaj to Marivan, Kurdistan province, Iran. Read More

Accid Anal Prev 2020 Jul 19;142:105497. Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Transportation Engineering, The University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-ro Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02504, South Korea. Electronic address:

Although crashes involving hazardous material (HAZMAT) vehicles on expressways do not occur frequently compared with other types of vehicles, the number of lives lost and social damage is very high when a HAZMAT vehicle-involved crash occurs. Therefore, it is essential to identify the leading causes of crashes involving HAZMAT vehicles and make specific countermeasures to improve the safety of expressways. This study aims to employ the association rules mining (ARM) approach to discover the contributory crash-risk factors of HAZMAT vehicle-involved crashes on expressways. Read More

Prehosp Disaster Med 2020 May 11:1-8. Epub 2020 May 11.

SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA.

Introduction: Physicians' management of hazardous material (HAZMAT) incidents requires personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization to ensure the safety of victims, facilities, and providers; therefore, providing effective and accessible training in its use is crucial. While an emphasis has been placed on the importance of PPE, there is debate about the most effective training methods. Circumstances may not allow for a traditional in-person demonstration; an accessible video training may provide a useful alternative. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Apr 17;17(8). Epub 2020 Apr 17.

School of Logistics, Beijing Wuzi University, Beijing 101149, China.

The accidents caused by hazardous material during road transportation may result in catastrophic losses of lives and economics, as well as damages to the environment. Regarding the deficiencies in the information systems of hazmat transportation accidents, this study conducts a survey of 371 accidents with consequence Levels II to V involving road transportation in China from 2004-2018. The study proposes a comprehensive analysis framework for understanding the overall status associated with key factors of hazmat transportation in terms of characteristics, cause, and severity. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 02 19;17(4). Epub 2020 Feb 19.

College of Transportation Engineering, Tongji University, Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of the State Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rail Infrastructure Durability and System Safety, Shanghai 201804, China.

With the increasing demand of hazardous material (Hazmat), traffic accidents occurred frequently during Hazmat transportation, which had caused widespread concern in communities. Therefore, a good understanding of Hazmat transportation accident characteristics and contributing factors is of practical importance. In this study, 1721 Hazmat accidents that have occurred during road transportation for the period 2014-2017 in China were examined, and a random-parameters ordered probit model was established to explore the influence of contributing factors on the severity of accidents by accounting for unobserved heterogeneity in the data. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2020 Feb 17;20(4). Epub 2020 Feb 17.

Farmer School of Business, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.

In the first part of the review, we observed that there exists a significant gap between the predictive and prescriptive models pertaining to crash risk prediction and minimization, respectively. In this part, we review and categorize the optimization/ prescriptive analytic models that focus on minimizing crash risk. Although the majority of works in this segment of the literature are related to the hazardous materials (hazmat) trucking problems, we show that (with some exceptions) many can also be utilized in non-hazmat scenarios. Read More

Nurse Educ Today 2020 Apr 30;87:104358. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Department of Nursing, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Hazardous materials (Hazmat) disaster is a specific event with low probability but may be a heavy burden on public health. Competence in Hazmat disaster emergency management is necessary for nurses who care about mass casualties in the first line, especially for nurses in military hospitals. However, less attention has been paid to evaluation of competence of Hazmat disaster emergency responses using tabletop exercises. Read More

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020 Jan 31;69(4):109-113. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

On April 25, 2019, a farm tractor towing two 2-ton ammonia tanks on a county road in Lake County, Illinois, experienced a mechanical failure that resulted in the release of anhydrous ammonia, a colorless, pungent, irritating gas that can cause severe respiratory and ocular damage (1). Approximately 80% of anhydrous ammonia produced in the United States is used as a fertilizer in agriculture (1). Eighty-three persons, including first responders, motorists, and neighborhood residents, were evaluated at area hospitals because of exposure to the gas. Read More

J Am Vet Med Assoc 2020 Feb;256(3):322-332

Objective: To document injuries and illnesses incurred by search-and-recovery (S&R) dogs deployed to northern California in response to the Camp Fire wildfire of November 2018 and identify fire scene-specific hazards.

Animals: 30 human remains detection-certified S&R dogs deployed to the Camp Fire scene.

Procedures: Handlers of the S&R dogs completed a survey after deployment. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 10 25;16(21). Epub 2019 Oct 25.

Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Outsourcing the hazardous materials (HazMat) transportation is an effective way for manufacturing enterprises to avoid risks and accidents as well as to retain sustainable development in economic growth and social inclusion while not bringing negative impacts on the public and the environment. It is imperative to develop viable and effective approaches to selecting the most appropriate HazMat transportation alternatives. This paper aims at proposing an integrated multi-criteria group decision making approach that combines (PHFLTS) and the (TOPSIS) to address the problem of HazMat transportation alternative evaluation and selection. Read More

Environ Toxicol Chem 2019 12 9;38(12):2682-2687. Epub 2019 Nov 9.

Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri, USA.

We conducted acute lethality tests with white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to copper and zinc at dissolved organic carbon concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 5.5 mg/L. Read More

Emerg Med J 2019 08 4;36(8):515-516. Epub 2019 Jul 4.

Research Centre for Topical Drug Delivery and Toxicology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.

Emerg Med J 2019 08 4;36(8):515. Epub 2019 Jul 4.

Val-de-Grâce Military Health Academy, Paris, France.

Int J Emerg Med 2018 Sep 18;11(1):38. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, 1603 W. Congress Pkwy, Chicago, IL, USA.

Background: To design and implement a replicable disaster training curriculum for the first on-call medical student hazardous materials response team.

Methods: Twenty-eight first-year medical students participated in a simulated citywide bioterrorism disaster drill. Students were notified of the Code Orange via email, a pager system, and group SMS text message. Read More

Prehosp Disaster Med 2019 Jun 28;34(3):322-329. Epub 2019 May 28.

Queensland University of Technology,Kelvin Grove, Queensland,Australia.

Introduction: Paramedics are tasked with providing 24/7 prehospital emergency care to the community. As part of this role, they are also responsible for providing emergency care in the event of a major incident or disaster. They play a major role in the response stage of such events, both domestic and international. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2019 08 20;375:96-106. Epub 2019 Apr 20.

DIBRIS, Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering, University of Genova, Genoa 16145, Italy. Electronic address:

This work proposes two algorithms to the Bi-objective Shortest Path (BSP) problem, considering a fuzzy objective. Such approaches originally extend two classic label setting algorithms to solve BSP, in particular, the first one using a modified Gandibleux revision of Martin's algorithm and the second one based on the A* algorithm acceleration technique. The proposed extensions differ from the previous classic approaches for two main aspects: the two methods solve BSP problems with a linear objective function and a min-max objective function; the max-min objective considered in the BSP is a fuzzy objective function. Read More

Prehosp Disaster Med 2019 Apr 14;34(2):197-202. Epub 2019 Apr 14.

2.Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Disaster Medicine,Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,Boston, Massachusetts,USA.

Introduction: The recent increase in natural disasters and mass shootings highlights the need for medical providers to be prepared to provide care in extreme environments. However, while physicians of all specialties may respond in emergencies, disaster medicine training is minimal or absent from most medical school curricula in the United States. A voluntary Disaster Medicine Certificate Series (DMCS) was piloted to fill this gap in undergraduate medical education. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 14;665:937-943. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Defence, Technical Support Working Group, Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, US Government, Virginia, USA; Emergency Response TIPS, LLC, Virginia, USA.

Permeation of oxides of nitrogen and sulfur gases through skin and the consequences of dermal exposure are still poorly understood. We measured the penetration profile of three common industrial gases through skin, for short-term exposures relevant to HAZMAT scenarios. Time variations of gas concentration, clothing effects, temperature and humidity on epidermal absorption and penetration were assessed. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2019 02 19;21(2):e12894. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Background: A growing body of research suggests that resilience training can play a pivotal role in creating mentally healthy workplaces, particularly with regard to protecting the long-term well-being of workers. Emerging research describes positive outcomes from various types of resilience training programs (RTPs) among different occupational groups. One specific group of workers that may benefit from this form of proactive resilience training is first responders. Read More

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2020 May 15;30(3):537-546. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Emergency Response TIPS, LLC, Alexandria, VA, USA.

The toxic release of aldehyde vapours during a hazardous material (HAZMAT) incident primarily results in respiratory concerns for the unprotected public. However, skin absorption may be an important concurrent exposure route that is poorly understood for this scenario. This study provides experimental data on the skin absorption properties of common aldehydes used in industry, including acetaldehyde, acrolein, benzaldehyde and formaldehyde, in gaseous or vapour form using an adapted in vitro technique. Read More

Temperature (Austin) 2018 29;5(4):348-358. Epub 2018 Jul 29.

Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

Despite extensive documentation directed specifically toward mitigating thermal strain of first responders, we wished to ascertain the degree to which first responders applied cooling strategies, and what opinions are held by the various agencies/departments within the United States. An internet-based survey of first responders was distributed to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Firefighters, National Bomb Squad Advisory Board and the USA Interagency Board and their subsequent departments and branches. Individual first responder departments were questioned regarding the use of pre-, concurrent, post-cooling, types of methods employed, and/or reasons why they had not incorporated various methods in first responder deployment. Read More

Emerg Med J 2019 Feb 1;36(2):117-123. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

Research Centre for Topical Drug Delivery and Toxicology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.

The UK is currently in the process of implementing a modified response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear and hazardous material incidents that combines an initial operational response with a revision of the existing specialist operational response for ambulant casualties. The process is based on scientific evidence and focuses on the needs of casualties rather than the availability of specialist resources such as personal protective equipment, detection and monitoring instruments and bespoke showering (mass casualty decontamination) facilities. Two main features of the revised process are: (1) the introduction of an emergency disrobe and dry decontamination step prior to the arrival of specialist resources and (2) a revised protocol for mass casualty (wet) decontamination that has the potential to double the throughput of casualties and improve the removal of contaminants from the skin surface. Read More

Bioethics 2019 02 27;33(2):267-273. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Philosophy, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.

According to the causal theory of parenthood, people incur parental obligations by causing children to exist. Proponents of the causal theory often argue that gamete donors have special obligations to their genetic offspring. In response, many defenders of current gamete donation practices would reject the causal theory. Read More

Saf Health Work 2018 Sep 20;9(3):352-355. Epub 2017 Dec 20.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.

Hazardous work zones (i.e., , , and ) are typically established by emergency response teams during hazardous materials (HAZMAT) calls but less consistently for fire responses to segment personnel and response activities in the immediate geographic area around the fire. Read More

AEM Educ Train 2018 Jan 26;2(1):40-47. Epub 2017 Dec 26.

Division of Emergency Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Boston MA.

Objective: Emergency department (ED) providers require competency in responding to hazardous materials (HAZMAT) events. The optimal strategies to teach HAZMAT response principles to ED providers and to ensure skill retention are not known. Our aim was to design, implement, and evaluate a multifaceted, interprofessional educational curriculum for pediatric ED staff to improve their skills, knowledge, and confidence in responding to a HAZMAT event. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2018 08 27;36(8):1510-1511. Epub 2017 Dec 27.

New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Children's Hospital of Michigan Regional Poison Center, Detroit, MI, USA. Electronic address:

JEMS 2017 Mar;42(3):54-8

J Hazard Mater 2017 10 4;340:486. Epub 2017 Jul 4.

Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR), Sector 39-A, Chandigarh 160 036, India. Electronic address:

Occup Health Saf 2017 Jun;86(6):78-80

Like OSHA and EPA chemical safety trainings, DOT training helps hazmat employees to recognize and identify hazardous materials and learn how their functions ensure that those materials can be transported safely. Read More

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017 May 19;66(19):498-501. Epub 2017 May 19.

In June 2015, personnel from California's Contra Costa Health Services Environmental Health and Hazardous Materials (hazmat) divisions were alerted to a possible chemical release at a swimming pool in an outdoor municipal water park. Approximately 50 bathers were in the pool when symptoms began; 34 (68%) experienced vomiting, coughing, or eye irritation. Among these persons, 17 (50%) were treated at the scene by Contra Costa's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and released, and 17 (50%) were transported to local emergency departments; five patients also were evaluated later at an emergency department or by a primary medical provider. Read More

Ann Work Expo Health 2017 Jun;61(5):589-595

Department of Defence, Technical Support Working Group, Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, US Government, VA, USA.

Ethylene oxide (EO) is a reactive gas used by numerous industries and medical facilities as a sterilant, a fumigant, and as a chemical intermediate in chemical manufacturing. Due to its common use, EO has been involved in a number of leaks and explosive incidents/accidents requiring HAZMAT response. However, the extent of skin absorption under short-term HAZMAT conditions has not been directly assessed. Read More

Ann Work Expo Health 2017 03;61(2):248-259

TNO CBRN Protection, 2280AA Rijswijk, The Netherlands.

A major concern for responders to hazardous materials (HazMat) incidents is the heat strain that is caused by fully encapsulated impermeable (NFPA 1991) suits. In a research project, funded by the US Department of Defense, the thermal strain experienced when wearing these suits was studied. Forty human subjects between the ages of 25 and 50 participated in a protocol approved by the local ethical committee. Read More

J Occup Environ Hyg 2017 06;14(6):448-455

b TNO Earth, Life and Social Sciences , Department of CBRN Protection , Rijswijk , The Netherlands.

A major concern for responders to hazardous materials (HazMat) incidents is the heat strain that is caused by fully encapsulated impermeable chemical protective suits. In a research project, funded by the US Department of Defense, the thermal strain experienced when wearing these suits was studied. One particular area of interest was the fluid loss of responders during work in these suits as dehydration may be an additional health concern to the heat strain. Read More

Occup Health Saf 2017 Mar;86(3):24-6

Toxicol Ind Health 2017 Jul 15;33(7):547-554. Epub 2017 Feb 15.

4 Department of Defence, Technical Support Working Group, Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, US Government, Virginia, VA, USA.

Accidental or intentional releases of toxic gases or vapors are the most common occurrence in hazardous material (HAZMAT) incidents that result in human injuries. The most serious hazard from exposure to gases or vapors is via the respiratory system. Dermal uptake, as a secondary route, is still a concern, most acutely for the unprotected public. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2017 Feb 9;324(Pt B):472-480. Epub 2016 Nov 9.

School of Management, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address:

This work focuses on the Heterogeneous Fleet Vehicle Routing problem (HFVRP) in the context of hazardous materials (HazMat) transportation. The objective is to determine a set of routes that minimizes the total expected routing risk. This is a nonlinear function, and it depends on the vehicle load and the population exposed when an incident occurs. Read More

Bioethics 2016 11 15;30(9):741-750. Epub 2016 Sep 15.

According to Rivka Weinberg, gametes are like enriched uranium: both are hazardous materials. Exposing human beings to enriched uranium can result in radioactivity and decreased life expectancy, while exposing sperm and ova to each other can result in the creation of needy innocent persons with full moral status. Weinberg argues that when we engage in activities that put our gametes at risk of joining with others and growing into persons, we assume the costs of that risky activity. Read More

Occup Health Saf 2016 Mar;85(3):30-2

Fed Pract 2016 Feb;33(2):24-29

is a physician assistant in the Urology Department at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System in Utah and a lieutenant colonel in the Utah Air National Guard. is an Emergency Department physician and a major in the Utah Air National Guard. is a training manager and a master sergeant in the West Virginia National Guard.

A tool that identifies heat injuries early can avoid the progression of symptoms from heat stress to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Read More

Jt Comm Perspect 2015 Dec;35(12):6-8

J Occup Environ Med 2015 Oct;57(10):1092-7

Centre for Human and Applied Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Mr Fullagar, Dr Sampson, Dr Burdon, Dr Taylor, and Dr Groeller); and Fire & Rescue New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Mr Mott).

Objective: Firefighter physical aptitude tests were administered to unskilled subjects and operational firefighters to evaluate the impact that testing bias associated with gender, age, activity-specific skills, or task familiarity may have upon establishing performance thresholds.

Methods: These tests were administered in sequence, simulating hazmat incidents, ventilation fan carriage (stairs), motor-vehicle rescues, bushfire incidents, fire attacks, and a firefighter rescue. Participants included two unskilled samples (N = 14 and 22) and 143 firefighters. Read More

J Occup Environ Med 2015 Oct;57(10):1083-91

Centre for Human and Applied Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Dr Groeller, Mr Fullagar, Dr Sampson, and Dr Taylor); and Fire & Rescue New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Mr Mott).

Objective: In this third communication, the processes for converting criterion occupational tasks into bona fide pre-employment selection tests are presented using urban firefighters as the worked example.

Methods: A total of 14 individuals participated in potential screening tests that targeted three loaded movement categories: single-sided load carriage (4 tests), dragging loads (2 tests), and overhead pushing and holding objects (5 tests).

Results: Seven tests emerged, one performed as an isolated pass/fail barrier test (ladder raise) and six incorporated into a sequential, timed circuit simulating hazmat incidents, ventilation fan carriage (stairs), motor-vehicle rescues, bushfire incidents, fire attacks, and a firefighter rescue. Read More

Prehosp Disaster Med 2015 Oct;30(5):466-71

1Department of Emergency Medicine,Mayo Clinic,Rochester,MinnesotaUSA.

Objective: Little is known about the overall frequency of hazardous materials (HazMat) events in the United States and the nature of prehospital care for those exposed. The purpose of the current study was to perform a descriptive analysis of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) activations reported to a national EMS database.

Methods: Analysis of the 2012 National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) Public Release Research Data Set v. Read More

Prehosp Disaster Med 2015 Oct 15;30(5):486-90. Epub 2015 Sep 15.

Department of Emergency Medicine,The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center,Columbus,OhioUSA.

Introduction: Smartphone applications (or apps) are becoming increasingly popular with emergency responders and health care providers, as well as the public as a whole. There are thousands of medical apps available for Smartphones and tablet computers, with more added each day. These include apps to view textbooks, guidelines, medication databases, medical calculators, and radiology images. Read More

Surgery (Oxf) 2015 Sep 6;33(9):442-448. Epub 2015 Aug 6.

is a Military Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Great North Trauma and Emergency Centre, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared.

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents have a disproportionate effect on all aspects of efficient management of casualties. The immediate risks to rescue and healthcare staff, along with damage and threats to existing infrastructure, make CBRN incidents an important consideration to plan and train for, even if the likelihood of encountering them is remote. In addition to the generic 'all hazards' approach shared with all major incident planning, CBRN incident management has a number of specific treatments and interventions which require early identification of the agent involved, and thus a high degree of specialist knowledge among responders. Read More

EMS World 2015 Jul;44(7):12, 14, 16 passim

Occup Health Saf 2015 Jul;84(7):46, 48