Kule veki, abacimi-mlilo baqale bacela uvavanyo oluzimeleyo lwePFAS, into eyikhemikhali enxulumene nomhlaza kwisixhobo, kwaye bacela umanyano ukuba ulahle inkxaso yabenzi beekhemikhali kunye nezixhobo.
USean Mitchell, umphathi weSebe loMlilo laseNantucket, wasebenza yonke imihla iminyaka eyi-15.Ukunxiba loo suti inkulu kunokumkhusela kubushushu nakwilangatye emsebenzini.Kodwa kulo nyaka uphelileyo, yena neqela lakhe badibana nophando oluphazamisayo: imichiza eyityhefu ekwizixhobo ezisetyenziselwa ukukhusela ubomi inokubenza bagule kakhulu.
Kule veki, uCaptain Mitchell kunye namanye amalungu e-International Firefighters Association, umbutho omkhulu wabacimi-mlilo e-United States, bacele amagosa ombutho ukuba athathe inyathelo.Banethemba lokuqhuba iimvavanyo ezizimeleyo kwi-PFAS kunye neekhemikhali ezizisebenzisayo, kwaye bacele imanyano ukuba ikhuphe inkxaso-mali yabavelisi bezixhobo kunye neshishini lemichiza.Kwiintsuku ezimbalwa ezizayo, kulindeleke ukuba abameli abamele amalungu angaphezu kwama-300,000 ombutho bavote okokuqala ngqa.
“Sidibana nale michiza yonke imihla,” utshilo uKapteni uMitchell.Kwaye okukhona ndifunda, kokukhona ndiziva ngathi ndedwa owenza le michiza ithi le michiza.”
Ngokunyuka kwemiphumo yokutshintsha kwemozulu, ukhuseleko lwabacimi-mlilo lube yingxaki engxamisekileyo ukuba isonjululwe.Ukutshintsha kwemozulu kunyuse amaqondo obushushu kwaze kwabangela ukuba ilizwe libandezeleke ngokwanda kwemililo etshabalalisayo, nto leyo ebangela ezi mfuno.Ngo-Oktobha, abacimi-mlilo abalishumi elinesibini eCalifornia bafaka isimangalo ngokuchasene ne-3M, Chemours, EI du Pont de Nemours kunye nabanye abavelisi.Kunyaka ophelileyo, irekhodi ye-4.2 yezigidi zeehektare zatshiswa kurhulumente, kubanga ukuba ezi nkampani zenze ngabom amashumi eminyaka.Kunye nokuthengiswa kwezixhobo zokucima umlilo.Iqulethe iikhemikhali eziyityhefu ngaphandle kwesilumkiso malunga nobungozi bamachiza.
“Ucimi-mlilo ngumsebenzi oyingozi kwaye asifuni ukuba abacimi-mlilo bethu babambe umlilo.Bayaludinga olu khuseleko.”utshilo uLinda Birnbaum, owayesakuba ngumlawuli weZiko leSizwe leSayensi yezeMpilo yokuSingqongileyo."Kodwa ngoku siyazi ukuba iPFAS inokusebenza, kwaye ayizukuhlala isebenza."
UGqr. Birnbaum wongezelela ngelithi: “Uninzi lwamaphecana okuphefumla luyaphuma lungene emoyeni, yaye ukuphefumla kusezandleni nasemizimbeni yawo.”“Ukuba bagoduka bayokuhlamba, baya kugoduka nePFAS.
UDuPont uthe "idanile" ngabacimi-mlilo abafuna ukuvalwa kwenkxaso-mali, kwaye ukuzinikela kwabo kulo msebenzi "akunakushukunyiswa."I-3M ithe "inoxanduva" lwePFAS kwaye iyaqhubeka nokusebenza kunye neemanyano.IChemours yalile ukuthetha.
Xa kuthelekiswa namadangatye abulalayo, izakhiwo ezingqongwe ngumsi okanye izihogo zamahlathi apho abacimi-mlilo besilwa khona, iingozi zemichiza ekwizixhobo zokucima umlilo zibonakala zimnyama.Kodwa kumashumi amathathu eminyaka adlulileyo, umhlaza uye waba ngoyena nobangela uphambili wokubhubha kwabacimi-mlilo kwilizwe liphela, kubalelwa kwi-75% yokusweleka kwabacimi-mlilo abasebenzayo ngo-2019.
Uphando olwenziwe yiNational Institute of Occupational Safety and Health e-United States lufumanise ukuba ingozi yomhlaza yabacimi bomlilo ingaphezulu kwe-9% kuneyabantu ngokubanzi baseUnited States kwaye ingozi yokufa ngenxa yesi sifo ingaphezulu kwe-14%.Iingcali zempilo zibonisa ukuba abacimi bomlilo banomngcipheko ophezulu womhlaza we-testicular, i-mesothelioma kunye ne-non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, kwaye iziganeko azizange zinciphe, nangona abacimi bomlilo baseMerika ngoku basebenzisa i-airbags efana nezixhobo zokuntywila ukuze bazikhusele kumsi onobuthi obunomlilo.
UJim Burneka, umcimi-mlilo eDayton, eOhio, wathi: “Oku asikokufa kumsebenzi ongokwesithethe.Abacimi-mlilo bawa phantsi okanye uphahla luwa ecaleni kwethu.”Kwilizwe lonke Nciphisa umngcipheko womhlaza wabasebenzi.“Olu luhlobo olutsha lokufa okunembopheleleko.Isengumsebenzi osibulalayo nangoku.Kukuba nje sikhulule iibhutsi zethu saza safa.”
Nangona kunzima ukuseka unxibelelwano oluthe ngqo phakathi kokuvezwa kweekhemikhali kunye nomhlaza, ngakumbi kwiimeko zomntu ngamnye, iingcali zempilo zilumkisa ukuba ukubonakaliswa kweekhemikhali kwandisa umngcipheko womhlaza kubacimi bomlilo.Umtyholi: ugwebu olusetyenziswa ngabacimi-mlilo ukucima amadangatye ayingozi ngakumbi.Amanye amazwe athathe inyathelo lokuthintela ukusetyenziswa kwawo.
Nangona kunjalo, uphando olupapashwe kunyaka odlulileyo ngabaphandi abavela kwiYunivesithi yaseNotre Dame bafumanisa ukuba iimpahla zokukhusela abacimi bomlilo ziqulethe inani elikhulu leekhemikhali ezifanayo ukugcina iimpahla zokukhusela zingenamanzi.Abaphandi baye bafumanisa ukuba ezi khemikhali ziyawa kwiimpahla, okanye kwezinye iimeko zifudukela kumgca wangaphakathi wedyasi.
Izinto zekhemikhali ekuthethwa ngazo zezodidi lweekhompawundi zokwenziwa ezibizwa ngokuba yi-perfluoroalkyl kunye nezinto ze-polyfluoroalkyl, okanye i-PFAS, ezifumaneka kuluhlu lweemveliso, kubandakanya iibhokisi zesnack kunye nefenitshala.I-PFAS ngamanye amaxesha ibizwa ngokuba "ziikhemikhali zanaphakade" ngenxa yokuba azithotywanga ngokupheleleyo kwindalo kwaye ke zinxulunyaniswa neziphumo ezahlukeneyo zempilo, kubandakanya umhlaza, ukonakala kwesibindi, ukuncipha kokuzala, isifo sombefu, kunye nesifo se-thyroid.
UGraham F. Peaslee, unjingalwazi wefiziksi yokulinga inyukliya, ikhemistri kunye ne-biochemistry e-Notre Dame de Paris, ophethe uphando, uthe nangona ezinye iindlela zePFAS zipheliswa, ezinye iindlela azikabonakali zikhuselekile.
UGqr. Peaslee wathi: “Oku kuyingozi enkulu ngakumbi, kodwa sinokuyiphelisa le ngozi, kodwa akunakuyiphelisa ingozi yokuqhekezwa kwesakhiwo esitshayo.”“Kwaye abazange babaxelele abacimi-mlilo ngayo.Ke bayayinxiba, bebhadula phakathi kweminxeba. ”Uthe."Olo nxibelelwano lwexesha elide, ayilunganga."
UDoug W. Stern, umalathisi wezonxibelelwano namajelo eendaba kwi-International Firefighters Association, wathi kangangeminyaka emininzi, bekungumgaqo-nkqubo noqheliselo lokuba amalungu anxibe kuphela izixhobo zokucima umlilo xa kukho umlilo okanye unxunguphalo.
Ulawulo lweBiden luchaze ukuba luza kwenza iPFAS ibe yeyona nto iphambili.Kumaxwebhu akhe ephulo, uMongameli uBiden wathembisa ngokuchaza iPFOS njengento eyingozi ukuze abavelisi kunye nabanye abangcolisi bahlawule ukucoca kunye nokumisela imigangatho yamanzi okusela yelizwe kwikhemikhali.INew York, iMaine kunye neWashington sele ithathe inyathelo lokuvala i-PFAS ekupakishweni kokutya, kunye nezinye izithintelo zikwasembhobho.
"Kuyimfuneko ukukhuphela ngaphandle iPFAS kwiimveliso zemihla ngemihla ezinjengokutya, izithambiso, iingubo, iikhaphethi," utshilo uScott Faber, usekela mongameli omkhulu wemicimbi karhulumente weQela eliSebenzayo lokusiNgqongileyo, umbutho ongenzi nzuzo obandakanyeka kucoceko lokusingqongileyo."Ukongezelela, ipesenti yabacimi-mlilo abaveziweyo nayo iphezulu kakhulu."
Lon.URon Glass, umongameli we-Orlando Professional Fire Workers Association, ube ngumcimi-mlilo iminyaka eyi-25.Kulo nyaka uphelileyo, ababini kumaqabane akhe babulewe ngumhlaza.Wathi: “Ukuqala kwam ukuqeshwa, unobangela wokuqala wokufa yingozi yomlilo emsebenzini emva koko nesifo sentliziyo.“Ngoku wonke ngumhlaza.”
Ekuqaleni, wonke umntu wayegxeka izixhobo ezahlukeneyo okanye amagwebu atshileyo.Emva koko, saqalisa ukuyifundisisa nzulu saza saqalisa ukufunda izixhobo zethu ezihlala kwigumbi elingaphantsi komhlaba.”Uthe.“Umvelisi ekuqaleni wasixelela ukuba akukho nto iphosakeleyo kwaye akukho bungozi.Kuyavela ukuba i-PFAS ayikho kwiqokobhe langaphandle kuphela, kodwa ichasene nolusu lwethu kumgca wangaphakathi. ”
ULieutenant Glass kunye noogxa bakhe ngoku bakhuthaza i-International Firefighters Association (emele abacimi bomlilo kunye ne-paramedics e-United States naseKhanada) ukuba benze ezinye iimvavanyo.Isigqibo sabo esisesikweni singeniswe kwindibano yonyaka yale manyano kule veki, kwaye bacele le manyano ukuba isebenzisane nabavelisi ukuze baphuhlise ezinye iindlela ezikhuselekileyo.
Kwangaxeshanye, uKapteni uMitchell ukhuthaza iimanyano zabasebenzi ukuba zikhabe uxhaso lwexesha elizayo oluvela kubavelisi beekhemikhali kunye nezixhobo zokusebenza.Ukholelwa ukuba le mali ithobe inyathelo kulo mba.Iirekhodi zibonisa ukuba kwi-2018, imanyano yafumana malunga ne-200,000 yeedola kwingeniso evela kwiinkampani ezibandakanya umenzi welaphu u-WL Gore kunye nomenzi wezixhobo ze-MSA Safety.
UMnu. Stern ubonise ukuba umanyano luxhasa uphando kwi-PFAS exposure yesayensi enxulumene nezixhobo zokucima umlilo kwaye isebenzisana nabaphandi kwizifundo ezintathu eziphambili, enye ibandakanya iPFAS kwigazi labacimi-mlilo, kwaye enye ifunda uthuli oluvela kwisebe lomlilo ukujonga umxholo wePFAS, kwaye uvavanyo lwesithathu lwezixhobo zokucima umlilo zePFAS.Uthe imanyano ikwaxhasa abanye abaphandi abafaka izicelo zezibonelelo zokufunda imiba yePFAS.
U-WL Gore uthe uhlala ezithembile kukhuseleko lweemveliso zayo.Ukhuseleko lwe-MSA aluzange luphendule kwisicelo sokuphefumla.
Omnye umqobo kukuba abavelisi bathatha indawo ebalulekileyo kwi-National Fire Protection Association, ejongene nemigangatho yezixhobo zomlilo.Ngokomzekelo, isiqingatha samalungu ekomiti enoxanduva lokongamela imigangatho yeempahla ezikhuselayo kunye nezixhobo zivela kwishishini.Isithethi salo mbutho sathi ezi komiti “zimela izinto ezilungelelanisiweyo, kuquka isebe lomlilo.”
Umyeni kaDiane Cotter uPaul, umcimi-mlilo eWorcester, eMassachusetts, waxelelwa kwiminyaka esixhenxe eyadlulayo ukuba wayenomhlaza.Wayengomnye wabokuqala ukuphakamisa iinkxalabo malunga nePFAS.Emva kweminyaka eyi-27 yenkonzo, umyeni wakhe wayesandul’ ukunyuselwa ekubeni abe lieutenant ngoSeptemba 2014. “Kodwa ngo-Oktobha, umsebenzi wakhe waphela,” utshilo uNksz Kotter.Kwafunyaniswa ukuba unomhlaza.Kwaye andinakukuxelela indlela eyothusa ngayo.“
Uthe abacimi-mlilo baseYurophu abasayisebenzisi iPFAS, kodwa xa eqala ukubhala abavelisi eUnited States, kwakungekho mpendulo.Uthe amanyathelo athatyathwe ngulo manyano abalulekile, nangona ixesha liphelile kumyeni wakhe.UNksz Kurt wathi: “Eyona nto inzima kukuba akakwazi ukubuyela emsebenzini.”
Ixesha lokuposa: Feb-04-2021