PFAS: Understanding the risk and exposure for emergency services

Perfluoralkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been in use in numerous products for over 50 years. More recently, a focus of attention in society at large has been the health effects of exposure to these substances, which persist in the environment and are linked to elevated risk of cancer. The fire/EMS service became acutely aware of occupational exposures in firefighting foams, and more recently, turnout gear.

This talk will describe the chemistry of these substances, known hazards, and take a holistic risk-informed view of occupational exposures facing first responders. Exposure routes and best practice for interacting with materials containing these chemicals will be discussed based on United Nations and Australian fire service practices.

Dr. Klein has a long and distinguished career as a physician/medical educator and research chemist, including providing expert evidence to the Victorian Parliament (Australia) as part of the Fiskville 2015 Inquiry into PFAS contamination, acting as convener and coordinator for an Expert PFAS Panel which presented three White Papers to the UN Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) and COP9 (2018-2019) contributing to the decision to ban or restrict PFOS, PFOA, and PFHXS, as well as providing expert evidence and advise to the PFAS panel for the Government of Jersey (UK). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

He authored the original draft risk management guidance for the UK Home Office Fire Service Inspectorate (1996), and co-authored the Queensland Foam Management Policy (2016), as well as providing input on command and control procedures to the McKinsey Report on 9/11.

Host or Publisher Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies (RaCERS)