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Article Summary
- The Firefighter Cancer Initiative is leading a multidisciplinary study of electric vehicle fires.
- Electric vehicles are increasingly common but little is known about the dangers posed to firefighters who respond to EV fires.
- During an electric vehicle fire, more than 100 chemicals are released, including heavy metals, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.
What environmental and health consequences do electric vehicle fires pose to firefighters?
Electric vehicles (EVs) comprise 6.8% of motorized vehicles in the United States. The number will continue to grow as prices decrease and charging stations proliferate. Eight states, including California, New Jersey and New York, have pledged to phase out the sale of new, gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
Businesses and government are also moving toward electrifying their diesel fleets, including tractor-trailers and city buses.
Studying Electric Vehicle Fire Hazards
Alberto Caban-Martinez, Ph.D., D.O., M.P.H., deputy director of the Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI) and professor of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is leading a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional study of EV fires. Study collaborators, including the FCI, the Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami and several Florida fire departments, staged an electric vehicle fire at Florida State Fire College July 25.
FCI studies cancer prevalence among firefighters and identifies evidence-based methods for reducing risk. Activities include research, an annual cancer survey, training programs and an environmental sampling program. FCI was instrumental in the World Health Organization designating firefighting as a carcinogenic job.
“This project represents the future of fire science,” said Dr. Caban-Martinez. “Electric vehicles contain many potential toxins, including gases and metals. As EVs increase in number throughout the world, we need to have reliable information on the consequences of the release of these materials on firefighters, members of the community, the air, the soil and nearby water.”
Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate director of community outreach and engagement at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and principal investigator of the FCI, noted the dangers that firefighters face from these kinds of fires.
“The dangers from electric vehicle fires are still not fully understood. This research is crucial because it helps us identify the residues and toxins released during these burns. Understanding these hazards will enable us to develop better protective measures, ensuring the safety of firefighters who encounter these situations in the field,” said Dr. Kobetz, also the John K. and Judy H. Schulte Senior Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at the Miller School.
Investigating the Cancer Risk in EV Fires
Data from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board shows that there are approximately 25 fires for every 100,000 EVs sold. In comparison, there are approximately 1,530 fires for every 100,000 gas-powered vehicles sold. Similar rates have been found in Norway, Sweden and Australia.
While EV fires are less common, they are more difficult to extinguish. Their lithium-ion batteries take a long time to cool, creating a danger of reignition. During an electric vehicle fire, more than 100 chemicals are released, including heavy metals, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. Controlling the fire can take hours, prolonging firefighter exposure to toxins.
The research group, the Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory (AAQRL) at the University of Miami College of Engineering, participated in the study to improve safety measures during electric vehicle fire incidents.
“Our efforts enabled the use of wearable sensors to monitor the potential exposures on a real-time basis to ensure that firefighters and the public remain safe,” said Pratim Biswas, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering.
He added that experiments such as this will address the evolving safe development and advancement of modern transportation technology, and eventually help design next generation batteries to minimize electric vehicle fires.
The Mechanics of the EV Fire Study
The primary aim of the case study is to obtain important information about how toxins released in the environment from an EV vehicle fire impact firefighters and the larger community. It’s an exercise in team science, with scientists from medicine, engineering, transportation, water science and human biology contributing their expertise.
Investigators in the study took breath, blood, saliva, urine and nail samples from the firefighters who worked the EV blaze. Samples were collected the day before the staged fire, the day of the fire and the day after the fire. Additional sampling will continue for as long as a year in order to gauge longer-term effects.
The researchers also took air, water and soil samples in a variety of permutations. For example, soil was probed at various depths, extending down to a foot deep. The aim is to see how far the various toxins travel in each of the three mediums.
“We need to replicate this kind of test many times,” said Dr. Caban-Martinez. “There will be different results under different conditions, for example, whether it’s an outdoor fire or a fire in a garage-like setting. Weather and wind could have an impact, also.”
Once the study is complete, the research team hopes to guide future behavior by enhancing firefighter protocols and public policy, including directives to the community in the event of an EV fire.
Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Translational Science
Natasha Schaefer-Solle, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and public health sciences and FCI deputy director, is leading the specimen collection team.
“We’re working with partners from throughout the University to assess the human and environmental samples. We’ve developed a comprehensive array of settings to examine, including, for example, the air before and after the firefighters take off their gear,” she said. “This study is an example of translational science. We want to translate our findings into expanded protection and education. Preventing cancer for our firefighters is a top priority.”
Shruti Choudhary, a Ph.D. candidate in the aerosol and air quality research laboratory in the Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, has benefitted from the study’s multidisciplinary design.
“As a student, I have been learning the importance of teamwork in this project,” she said. “We also get to know the point of view of firefighters. In turn, they learn the point of view of scientists. When they go back to the field, they remember the importance of taking care of themselves.”
Choudhary and her colleagues will be examining aerosol and gaseous emissions, including:
• Measuring real-time aerosol emissions and exposure using a suite of aerosol instrumentation
• Collecting multiple air samples in different locations to assess the presence of cancer-causing agents
• Tracking the composition and size of inhaled particles in firefighters’ respiratory systems
• Testing the wristbands the firefighters were wearing for gaseous emissions.
Increasing Awareness of EV Fires
The findings from this case study will shed light on how environmental contaminants might impact firefighters’ health examined through the biological samples.
Lieutenant Mike Adams, a fire investigator with the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue, has been an active participant in the study.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, these batteries are safe,” he said. “It’s the exceptions that we worry about.”
One of Adams’ goals is to use findings from the study to increase awareness among firefighters and the public at large.
“People have the impression that the batteries are universally safe,” he said. “But that’s not fully accurate. Some manufacturers put a safety mechanism in place. Some may not. That’s why it’s important to have a public awareness campaign.”
He envisions a number of components for the campaign: workshops, public service announcements and more facilities for people to drop off their used batteries.
“As firefighters, our most important job is prevention in all aspects of fires, including these batteries,” he said.
The study will be an important part of all of these efforts. The overarching message?
“Don’t take these batteries, whether in EVs or any other setting, for granted,” Adams said.
Tags: cancer research, Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez, Firefighter Cancer Initiative, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
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