Prof. Guowen Song, Professor and Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing, and Dr. Rui Li, Assistant Research Professor and Project Manager, Iowa State University

The increasing frequency and complexity of wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires and lithium-ion battery involved incidents generate highly toxic smoke containing metal- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-enriched ultrafine particles (UFPs). These unpredictable aerosols pose significant challenges to firefighter health and the performance of protective textiles.
This session introduces the Controlled Consistent Exposure Simulation System (ACCESS), a novel laboratory platform that transforms chaotic real-world fire events into repeatable, controlled combustion experiments. ACCESS accurately replicates the distinctive smoke signatures of large-scale WUI and battery fires, serving as a validated bridge between bench-scale testing and field exposures (coefficient of variation <15% for key metrics).

Attendees will discover how this validated system enables systematic study of fabric contamination and decontamination. High-performance firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) components—including outer shells, moisture barriers, and thermal liners—as well as common polymer fabrics (cotton, polyester, and wool) are exposed to representative WUI aerosols. Post-exposure analyses reveal precisely how textile material composition, structure, and surface finishes govern the progressive inward transport, deposition, and retention of toxic particulates.
These evidence-based insights directly inform the structural design, material selection, and functional finishing of advanced anti-smoke textiles while establishing practical, optimized protocols for post-fire cleaning and remediation—ultimately enhancing protection for first responders and extending fabric service life.