Firefighting unions, health experts, and Washington leaders are raising concerns about a supplement brought to Spokane claiming to help firefighters detox some of it from their bodies in the aftermath of deadly fires that destroyed homes and tore through tens of thousands of acres.
Reports began in the midst of the fire about “detox tents” arriving at the fires in Spokane, coming supplied with the compound Glutathione—an amino acid the body produces naturally.
Dr. Coralynn Sack, a pulmonologist in the University of Washington’s Environmental and Occupational Health Department, says that while the compound reduces oxidative stress —similar to what smoke causes — its use as a supplement is unproven.
“There’s an interesting thought that it could help reduce some of those adverse effects, but there’s really been no clinical evidence that it is helpful,” Sack said.
“The studies have been very mixed and even one study has shown that we were involved in showed that antioxidants increased adverse effects from pollution,” Sack continued.
In the tents, Glutathione was administrated through an IV or inhaled through a nebulizer. Sach says the respiratory administration can cause severe reactions in people with respiratory issues as it’s sulfur-base can be an irritant.
“The FDA does not oversee it, does not track, doesn’t do as much safety protocols for again, what’s actually included in what these companies are selling. And there’s not strict tracking of potential health effects after people are given this treatment.”
The lack of FDA approval is one of the main reasons the International Association of Fire Fighters warned against its use after the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters asked the IAFF for guidance. The Washington Department of Natural Resources also removed it from one of the incident command posts in Spokane.
“DNR is aware of the smoke detox tents. We removed one from the incident command post at Old Trails. The IAAF safety warning is in alignment with our concerns about alternative treatments that are experimental or not broadly accepted by the medical community. The Northwest Multi-Agency Coordinating Group does not support the presence of these detox therapies in incident bases or their use by firefighters as part of their employment.”
In a statement, IHAN acknowledges the lack of scientific evidence and says it trains physicians to look out for adverse reactions, especially bronchospasm. The organization says it has “not had a serious bronchospasm requiring emergency treatment to date.”
“Across thousands of treatments, firefighters consistently report meaningful benefits, including easier breathing, better sleep and faster recovery, and we are equally committed to being transparent about known risks and gaps in the evidence,” the statement read.
“We also won’t overstate the science: there are currently no published randomized controlled trials specifically evaluating glutathione for toxicant reduction in firefighters, which is exactly why IHAN has advocated since 2021 for rigorous controlled research. Firefighters deserve both thoughtful care today and the strongest possible evidence to guide their care tomorrow,” the statement continued.
IHAN’s medical director, Dr. Jen Riegle, says the organization vets all of its practitioners to ensure professional licenses are current.
“The Naturopathic Physicians that were operating in Spokane are either licensed in Washington state or are California licensed providers that were granted specific reciprocity by the Washington Department of Health,” Riegle said in an email.
Dr. Elena Austin, an associate professor at the University of Washington specializing in Environmental and Occupational Health, especially for firefighters, says a growing amount of research shows the health effects firefighters are exposed to, especially as electric car fires have thrown a cocktail of chemicals into their normal calls.
“Firefighting as an occupation is carcinogenic and they didn’t have enough information at that time to determine which aspect of firefighting was contributing to the excess cancers,” Austin said.
Austin worries that unproven methods may distract from evidence-based ways to prevent exposure for firefighters, like cleaning off contaminants after the firefighting is done.
“My reaction was concern and specifically concern at not hearing about efforts to support these firefighters in implementing their best practices for use of PPE,” Austin said. “Providing them adequate support and breaks so that they could refuel and have time to decontaminate. And the focus. On something that sounds like a cure-all, but really isn’t addressing the underlying concern, which is the exposures that are happening.”