Nanotechnology Spells Danger For Firefighters
Summary posted by Meridian on 4/27/2012
Source: Firehouse (24 April 2012)
Author(s): Ed Ballam
The proliferation of nanotechnology in consumer products is making the microscopic materials that become airborne during fires even more deadly than realized, according to this article. Firefighters and responders have known for decades the dangers of smoke to their health, but the increasing use of nanotechnology is adding a different dimension to the danger. Captain Peter McBride of the Ottawa Fire Services, Canada, is a safety officer in his department. He first became concerned about nanotechnologies when a huge sporting goods store burned, emitting black, acrid smoke due to the thousands of skis and other sporting goods that burned and released microscopic particles. “It’s not all black and white being a safety officer,” he said. “There’s a lot of gray... I am OK with unsafe, but I am not OK with dangerous.” And he found that when material with nanotechnology burns, it emits dangerous particulates. He has changed the safety precautions for his firefighters in an effort to mitigate the transfer of cancer-causing materials to personal property or to the families of firefighters. “I am not against nanotechnologies,” McBride said. “I am against us not doing anything to protect ourselves from the known dangers.”
The original article may still be available at http://www.firehouse.com/news/10705138/nanotechnology-spells-danger-for-firefighters