Photo By Megan Mudersbach | Dr. Brian Wong prepares for a laboratory study at Naval Medical Research Unit...... read more read more
By: Dr. Brian Wong, Senior Inhalation Toxicologist
Since 2010 my mission has been to work with scientific experts and their research teams at the Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton’s (NAMRU-Dayton) Environmental Health Effects Laboratory (EHEL) to design studies to determine potential health effects associated with exposure to environmental stressors, whether in the sea, on land, or in the air. Addressing the United States Navy and the Department of Defense needs, EHEL’s goal is to enhance warfighter health, safety, performance and readiness through research.
The field of inhalation toxicology is the science of the biological effects of materials that can be inhaled by people. This field is truly multidisciplinary because it requires contributions from several areas of expertise. These areas can include chemistry, to understand the properties of the test material; engineering of all kinds, to put together systems to produce a test atmosphere under well-controlled conditions; whole animal biology and biochemistry, to evaluate the effects on the research subjects; the exposure effects on behavior, coordination, memory, or decision-making abilities; and finally translational expertise to be able to relate results to people.
EHEL research supports the Navy in addressing issues relevant to submariner health, specifically the potential risk to women in the non-ambient submarine atmosphere because components of the atmosphere had never been tested in the context of reproductive and developmental considerations. NAMRU-Dayton engineers and technicians built state-of-the-science systems to simulate the oxygen and carbon dioxide found aboard Navy submarines and collaborated with toxicologists and reproductive specialists to determine if there was a potential risk to females. The Navy uses these studies to set safe exposure limits of carbon dioxide in the confines of a submarine. Currently, emissions from 3D printing technology are being assessed for potential inhalation toxicity.
On land, jet airplane fuelers and servicers might be exposed to jet fuel mists as planes are refueled. The military is testing eco-friendly jet fuels and alternative methods to limit dependence on crude oil. To understand how these fuels compare in toxicity, EHEL collaborated with the United States Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Office (AFCO; AFMC ASC/WNN), WPAFB OH to study if safe exposure limits need to be readjusted. In response to service personnel returning from Southwest Asia experiencing respiratory issues, EHEL simulated dust storms and waste disposal burn pits to determine if the exposure to dusty conditions, while in the vicinity of a solid waste open air burn pit, could explain these respiratory problems.
In the air, as an airplane climbs, air pressure decreases, as does the amount of oxygen available to a pilot. Planes are equipped with a system to increase the oxygen in the pilot’s breathing air to ensure an adequate oxygen supply. However, measurements taken in the breathing air have detected some contaminants. The Navy and Air Force are intensely interested in ensuring these contaminants do not exceed a safe level for the pilot, and that the contaminants are not having an indirect side effect on pilot performance. The NAMRU-Dayton EHEL engineering group adapted some of our inhalation exposure systems to handle reduced pressure so we can take research subjects to a simulated altitude, expose them to test contaminants, and then be evaluated by EHEL behavioral scientists.
I am adapting my experience with inhalation studies with the expertise of EHEL researchers to look at effects on physiology and behavior to further ensure the safety and operational capabilities of our service personnel.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2019 17:09 |
| Story ID: | 339890 |
| Location: | WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 142 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Scientists Study Inhalation Toxicology for Service Personnel Safety, by Megan Mudersbach, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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