Long-term psychological distress among chemically exposed firefighters.

Long-term psychological effects of exposure to a dangerous chemical were evaluated in a sample of firefighters who fought a large polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fire. When compared with nonexposed firefighter controls (n = 22), the exposed firefighters (n = 64) had significantly higher levels of demoralization and specific emotional distress 22 months after the incident. Longitudinal analyses of a subsample of exposed firefighter subjects (n = 55) surveyed 5 to 6 weeks after the fire and again 22 months later revealed that there was no reduction in symptomatology over time. Some psychological distress scores actually rose significantly between time points. Distress scores were also significantly correlated between time points. These results have a number of intervention and public health implications.