Fire eaters may be at risk of respiratory problems, according to the results of a study into a rarely encountered form of occupational disease.
Figure 1.
Credit: AP PHOTO/SCOTT DALTON
In the study, reported in the Archives of Medical Research 2003. ;34: 276-80), a total of 30 fire eaters, all men aged 19 to 42 and with up to seven years in the business, were observed and tested.
“Although very few cases of acute respiratory injury in these subjects have been reported, the derangement that this activity can potentially produce in respiratory function has not been investigated,” says the report.
The authors, from several hospitals and other institutions in Mexico city, say that the fire eating sessions usually involve putting petrol into the mouth and forcefully expelling it through pursed lips.
“We found that up to two thirds of fire-eaters had spirometric abnormalities in basal measurements, these mainly consisting of an obstructive component. Up to two thirds of fire-eaters presented mild airflow decrement, which partially correlated with number of years spent in this activity,” says the report.