Particle morphology and elemental analysis of lung tissue from post-9/11 military personnel with biopsy-proven lung disease

International Journal of Enviornmental Research and Public Health
By: , and 

Links

Abstract

The relationship between exposure to inhaled inorganic particulate matter and risk for deployment-related lung disease in military personnel is unclear due in part to difficulties characterizing individual exposure to airborne hazards. We evaluated the association between self-reported deployment exposures and particulate matter (PM) contained in lung tissue from previously deployed personnel with lung disease (“deployers”). The PM in deployer tissues was compared to normal lung tissue PM using the analytical results of scanning electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The majority of PM phases for both the deployers and the controls were sub-micrometer in size and were compositionally classified as aluminum and zirconium oxides, carbonaceous particles, iron oxides, titanium oxides, silica, other silicates, and other metals. The proportion of silica and other silicates was significantly higher in the retained dust from military veterans with biopsy-confirmed deployment-related lung disease compared to the control subjects. Within the deployer population, those who had combat jobs had a higher total PM burden, though the difference was not statistically significant. These findings have important implications for understanding the role of inhaled inorganic dusts in the risk for lung injury in previously deployed military veterans.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Particle morphology and elemental analysis of lung tissue from post-9/11 military personnel with biopsy-proven lung disease
Series title International Journal of Enviornmental Research and Public Health
DOI 10.3390/ijerph21010091
Volume 21
Issue 1
Year Published 2024
Language English
Publisher MDPI
Contributing office(s) Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Description 91, 14 p.
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details