by Kevin Hague
The Green Party are siding with the firefighters in their bid to have extractors installed at their workplaces.
The DominionPost reported yesterday that the Fire Service was dragging its feet over the installation of diesel fume extractors at fifteen fire stations around the country. The extractors are expensive — $15,000 per unit — and the Fire Service claims there is no proof breathing diesel exhaust from truck engines is harmful. “There was no quantifiable risk for staff from exposure to diesel fumes,” said operations and training director, Paul McGill.
Are the Fire Service taking Public Relations lessons from the tobacco industry? The link between long-term exposure to diesel exhaust and cancer is well proven. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and fine particulates are all contained in diesel fumes and have been linked to respiratory illness, cancer, and premature death.
Motor vehicle pollution is estimated to lead to the premature mortality of 400 people per annum in New Zealand already — the so-called “other” road toll — so why would the Fire Service put our fire fighters at risk?
The Fire Service needs to be taking a precautionary approach to their workers health and safety and clean up the air at their fire stations.
Published in Economy, Work, & Welfare | Health & Wellbeing | THE ISSUES by Kevin Hague on Fri, March 19th, 2010
Tags: diesel, Fire Service, firemen, health risk, Kevin Hague, particulate, precautionary
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
$15k… wow.
I’m sure I can find some pretty good fans for $14k. Any takers? They’re a bargain!
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It just seems like common sense not to surround our Firefighters with diesel when they’re at work
Isn’t that like surrounding a zoo keeper with blood in the tiger pen? :p
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thanks for this Kevin. Another thing I’ve often wondered about is the health risk to workers who work in factories with diesel vehicles (e.g., fork lifts, trucks) and also roadworkers.
Whenever I drive past and see them standing next to those diesel trucks all day I wonder how much damage it does to their lungs. I’m guessing a lot since even just standing behind a bus can make me cough and sneeze.
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4 good mates of mine are fire fighters, there is an institutional bravado about exposure to lung damaging activities…
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Trevor.
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Paul McGill was on my pre officers course. He should well remember me from Auckland. I was medically retired due to carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust of a fire appliance whilst changing appliances at the Otahuhu workshops. I have proven and accepted by ACC 42% front lobal brain damage brain damage!! Make no mistake-CO poisoning is dangerous and can destroy not only your life but that of your family. Anyone who is interested in obtaining further information can contact me at catojasco@paradise.net.nz. I cannot believe that nothing has been done since I suffered exposure in 1987. I do not want to cause industrial strife but to have executives saying there is no danger from Co is totally false and needs to be exposed.
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I used a flexable steel pipe to solve this problem when I was working with diesel engine.
Billy.
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