Soldiers deployed overseas may be breathing ambient air containing concentrations of fine particulate matter known to cause adverse effects to human health.  An ongoing study initiated in 2008 is designed to determine the concentrations and compositions of fine particulate matter and quantify the fine particulate matter exposures for soldiers currently deployed in Baghdad, Iraq.  This study includes a DRUM aerosol impactor continuously collecting size (eight stages between 10 and 0.09 microns in aerodynamic diameter) and time (hour and a half resolution) resolved aerosol samples for analysis for mass concentration and elemental composition.  The preliminary results of this study show that the fine particulate matter concentrations frequently exceed military exposure guidelines and that individual constituents, such as lead, exceed U.S. ambient air quality standards designed to protect human health.

Concentrations of fine particulate matter in Iraqi air: Implications for soldier health

241st National Meeting (2011)

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