Potential Pulmonary Damage from Exposure to Composite Fibers in Helicopter Fires

INTRODUCTION: Fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in the aircraft industry, including in helicopters. When exposed to fire, airborne fibers can be released from the composite and pose a risk to exposed humans—the fear being that it may pose a similar health hazard as asbestos fibers, particularly the pulmonary damage.

METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed in the PubMed database. Four search strings were made deliberately extensive to find relevant articles on the narrow subject.

RESULTS: The search resulted in a total of 330 titles. Of these, 73 abstracts were found relevant, of which 28 articles and finally 18 articles were included.

DISCUSSION: The health hazards of the different fiber types were found to be as follows: fiberglass has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as: “Not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity in humans”, with no later studies indicating that decision as being inaccurate. Studies on p-aramid have found a transient pulmonary inflammatory response which is not present 1 mo after exposure. Carbon/graphite has not been thoroughly investigated, but temporary lung inflammation, reversible after 10 d, has been described. Studies have not agreed on the number of fibers released in a fire, but many factors play an important role as to how many are produced, such as high temperatures (>600–850°C), turbulence, and situations like pool fire and a flashover. The knowledge on long-term outcomes after short-term exposures of fibers is scarce, and studies following up victims from aircraft incidents and firefighters as well as next-in-line helpers would be highly relevant.

Laugesen M, Lindgaard K. Potential pulmonary damage from exposure to composite fibers in helicopter fires. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(4):350–355.