Military Deployment-Related Respiratory Problems: An Update

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blanc, Paul D. ; Garshick, Eric
• Description:
  Purpose of review: Military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan were potentially exposed to high levels of fine particulate matter and other pollutants from multiple sources, including dust storms, burn pit emissions from open-air waste burning, local ambient air pollution, and a range of military service-related activities that can generate airborne exposures. These exposures, individually or in combination, can have adverse respiratory health effects. We review exposures and potential health impacts, providing a framework for evaluation. Recent findings: Particulate matter exposures during deployment exceeded U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Epidemiologic studies and case series suggest that in postdeployment Veterans with respiratory symptoms, asthma is the most commonly diagnosed illness. Small airway abnormalities, most notably particularly constrictive bronchiolitis, have been reported in a small number of deployers, but many are left without an established diagnosis for their respiratory symptoms. The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act was enacted to provide care for conditions presumed to be related to deployment exposures. Rigorous study of long-term postdeployment health has been limited. Summary: Veterans postdeployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan with respiratory symptoms should undergo an exposure assessment and comprehensive medical evaluation. If required, more advanced diagnostic considerations should be utilized in a setting that can provide multidisciplinary expertise and long-term follow-up. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Asthma Asthma, Occupational Dust Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Air Pollutants Author Keywords: Burn Pit Bronchiolitis Constrictive Bronchiolitis Deployment Dust Exposure Military Personnel Particulate Matter Particulates Respiratory Diseases

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• ISSN:
  1070-5287
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  7 pdf pages
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067072
• Citation:
  Curr Opin Pulm Med 2023 Mar; 29(2):83-89
• Contact Point Address:
  Eric Garshick, MD, MOH, Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep, and Critical Care Medicine Section; VA Boston Healthcare System, 1400 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA
• Email:
  eric.garshick@va.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:aa72c2009e880f0a7ad23f85866378306f4256c91c2bb19540ab97e73efc9cc852cc1516113278efa82fc629a5606ac1ba8d1cd3b0e3512f5b002e6e6d3f2206
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230626/cdc_230626_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.07 MB ]