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Review of the Department of Defense Enhanced Particulate Matter Surveillance Program Report (2010) / Chapter Skim
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5 Conclusions and Recommendations
Pages 71-75

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From page 71...
... Although the ability to conduct such a study is a critical milestone, the design and conduct of the EPMSP and health-effects studies limit their usefulness.1 The EPMSP achieved data recovery of 88%, which is impressive in light of the challenges of implementing protocols and operating samplers in a Middle East war zone. In addition, the sampling design and analysis captured many of the important physical and chemical properties of PM that have been shown in previous studies to affect health outcomes.
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From page 72...
... In particular, different types of exposure monitoring may be required for the study of potential persistent effects, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared to the study of acute effects, such as day-to-day variability in respiratory or cardiac responses. Future monitoring studies need to include other ambient pollutants that military personnel may be exposed to in the field and that may be relevant to human health, such as ozone, air toxics, and other gaseous materials.
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From page 73...
...  To conduct a well-designed epidemiologic study of the potential adverse health effects of exposure to PM in deployed military personnel in the current Middle East conflict, a major effort of many units and possibly multiple military branches will be required. Such a study will be organizationally and logistically challenging, given the temporally and spatially comprehensive monitoring of PM and other pollutants and the large number of samples that would be needed.
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From page 74...
... The committee strongly endorses DOD's effort and encourages it to continue and to expand its surveillance and research protocols to characterize health outcomes related to air-pollution exposures during military service. DOD should consider expanding medical surveillance, especially for deployed personnel, to include additional data (for example, results of pulmonary-function tests)
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From page 75...
... could be located downwind of bases. For periodic emissions, such as from waste-burning, burns should take place when the prevailing meteorologic conditions favor dispersion of the emissions.
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Key Terms

  • military personnel
  • study objectives
  • monitoring studies
  • particle mass
  • future monitoring

  • health studies
  • health surveillance
  • future exposure
  • exposure assessment
  • particulate matter

  • ambient pollutants
  • epidemiologic studies
  • ranch hand
  • overarching recommendations
  • active theater

  • monitoring study
  • assess health
  • characterize health
  • chronic health
  • affect health

  • veterans health
  • verse health
  • health study
  • tary personnel
  • monitoring strategy

  • monitoring period
  • includes matching
  • east conflict
  • burn pits
  • including extreme


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