{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T13:45:13Z","timestamp":1789479913978,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"6","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Occup Environ Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives:<\/jats:title><jats:p>An explosion at the Buncefield fuel depot outside London occurred on 11 December 2005. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of airborne exposures and health status for workers deployed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title><jats:p>Deployed individuals were identified through their occupational health departments. We sent a self-completion questionnaire asking about health symptoms during the burn and post-burn phases. The prevalence of health symptoms in workers was compared to symptoms in local residents not under the smoke plume.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title><jats:p>Of 1949 eligible individuals, 815 returned questionnaires (response rate 44). Respiratory protection was used by 39. Symptoms were reported by 41 of individuals during the burn phase compared with 26 in the post-burn phase. In a final multivariable model, reporting of any symptoms was associated with deployment inside the inner fire cordon during the burn phase (OR 2.07, 95 CI 1.24 to 3.47) and wearing a face mask (OR 2.33, 95 CI 1.67 to 3.26). Compared with the general public, eye irritation (prevalence ratio (PR) 2.1, 95 CI 1.5 to 3.0), coughing (PR 1.3, 95 CI 1.0 to 1.8) and headaches (PR 1.7, 95 CI 1.2 to 2.5) were more common in workers deployed during the burn phase but not the post-burn phase.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions:<\/jats:title><jats:p>Increased reporting of symptoms close to the fire during the burn phase was consistent with increased exposure to products of combustion, although no major acute illness was reported. That only a minority of individuals used face masks, which were not protective for symptoms, raises questions about the availability of adequate respiratory protection for such incidents.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/oem.2007.035303","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2007,10,19]],"date-time":"2007-10-19T23:10:59Z","timestamp":1192835459000},"page":"404-411","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Exposures and reported symptoms associated with occupational deployment to the Buncefield fuel depot fire, England 2005"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"65","author":[{"given":"O","family":"Morgan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"N Q","family":"Verlander","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"F","family":"Kennedy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Moore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Birch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J","family":"Kearney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P","family":"Lewthwaite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R","family":"Lewis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"O\u2019Brian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J","family":"Osman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Reacher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2007,10,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.1","unstructured":"Buncefield Major Investigation Board. The Buncefield investigation. First progress report. Buncefield Major Investigation Board, 2006. Available at http:\/\/www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk\/reports\/report.pdf (accessed 4 December 2007)."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.2","unstructured":"Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Buncefield. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service\u2019s review of the fire response. Norwich: Stationery Office, 2006."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.3","unstructured":"Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Initial review of air quality aspects of the Buncefield oil depot explosion. Defra, 2006. Available from http:\/\/www.defra.gov.uk\/environment\/airquality\/publications\/buncefield\/buncefield-report.pdf (accessed 4 December 2007)."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/pubmed\/fdm036"},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.5","unstructured":"Palmer SR Gallacher J O\u2019Connell S . Appendix 3. Buncefield follow-up population survey. The public health impact of the Buncefield oil depot fire. Health Protection Agency, 2006. Available at http:\/\/www.hpa.org.uk\/publications\/2006\/buncefield\/appendix3.pdf (accessed 4 December 2007)."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.6","unstructured":"Healthcare Commission. Primary care trust survey of patients 2005. Available at http:\/\/www.healthcarecommission.org.uk\/nationalfindings\/surveys\/patientsurveys\/nhspatientsurvey2005\/pctsurvey2005.cfm (accessed 4 December 2007)."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.7","unstructured":"Altman D . Practical statistics for medical research. London: Chapman & Hall\/CRC, 1999."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.8","unstructured":"Woodward M . Epidemiology. Study design and data analysis. New York: Chapman & Hall\/CRC, 1999."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.9","unstructured":"Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP). Buncefield fire: December 11\u201314th, 2005. COMEAP 2006 Available at http:\/\/www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk\/comeap\/statementsreports\/dec05buncefieldfire.pdf (accessed 4 December 2007)."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.10","unstructured":"Murray V Mohan R Aus C . Appendix 4. Atmospheric modelling and monitoring. The public health impact of the Buncefield oil depot fire. Health Protection Agency 2006 Available at http:\/\/www.hpa.org.uk\/publications\/2006\/buncefield\/appendix4.pdf (accessed 4 December 2007)."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.11","unstructured":"Harrison H Elkabir D . Products of combustion. London: Health Protection Agency, 2002."},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00043764-199906000-00008"},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/thx.2003.017103"},{"issue":"(11)","key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1141","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.021101141","article-title":"Exposures to the Kuwait oil fires and their association with asthma and bronchitis among Gulf War veterans.","volume":"110","author":"Lange","year":"2002","journal-title":"Environ Health Perspect"},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.15","first-page":"5","article-title":"Respiratory problems amongst fire fighters.","volume":"25","author":"Elkabir","year":"2002","journal-title":"Chemical Incident Report"},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nieuwenhuijsen M . Personal exposure monitoring. In: Nieuwenhuijsen M , ed. Exposure assessment in occupational and environmental epidemiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780198528616.001.0001"},{"key":"2024052223441016000_65.6.404.17","unstructured":"Urie R . Personal protection and hazardous materials. In: Sullivan J Krieger G , eds. Clinical environmental health and toxic exposures. 2nd edn. 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