U.S. Geological Survey, Geology Geophysics Geochemistry Science Center, Denver, CO 80225, USA.
National Jewish Health, Department of Medicine, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jan 12;21(1):91. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21010091.
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.
由于难以确定个体对空气传播危害的暴露情况，因此，吸入无机颗粒物暴露与军事人员部署相关肺部疾病风险之间的关系尚不清楚。我们评估了自我报告的部署暴露与肺部疾病（“部署者”）前部署人员肺部组织中所含颗粒物（PM）之间的关联。使用扫描电子显微镜和电感耦合等离子体质谱分析的结果，将部署者组织中的 PM 与正常肺组织 PM 进行了比较。部署者和对照组的大部分 PM 相均小于亚微米，成分上被归类为铝和氧化锆、含碳颗粒、氧化铁、氧化钛、二氧化硅、其他硅酸盐和其他金属。与对照组相比，经活检证实与部署相关的肺部疾病的退伍军人肺部留存尘埃中的二氧化硅和其他硅酸盐比例明显更高。在部署者人群中，从事战斗工作的人总 PM 负担更高，但差异无统计学意义。这些发现对于了解吸入无机粉尘在以前部署的退伍军人肺部损伤风险中的作用具有重要意义。
