Respiratory Health Status of US Army Personnel Potentially Exposed to Smoke From 2003 Al-Mishraq Sulfur Plant Fire

Objective: To assess the impact of exposure to a 2003 sulfur plant fire on the health of deployed US Army personnel. Methods: The authors identified a small firefighter group known to be at the fire source and a larger, more dispersed population. Self-reported health status and respiratory health ou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2012-06, Vol.54 (6), p.717-723
Main Authors: Baird, Coleen P., DeBakey, Samar, Reid, Lawrence, Hauschild, Veronique D., Petruccelli, Bruno, Abraham, Joseph H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Armed forces
Chronic Disease
Dyspnea - epidemiology
Dyspnea - etiology
Female
Firefighters - statistics & numerical data
Fires
Human exposure
Humans
Iraq
Male
Military Personnel
Occupational Diseases - epidemiology
Occupational Exposure - adverse effects
Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data
Original Article
Respiratory diseases
Respiratory Tract Diseases - epidemiology
Respiratory Tract Diseases - etiology
Self Report
Smoke Inhalation Injury - complications
Smoke Inhalation Injury - epidemiology
Sulfur
Sulfur - adverse effects
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Summary:Objective: To assess the impact of exposure to a 2003 sulfur plant fire on the health of deployed US Army personnel. Methods: The authors identified a small firefighter group known to be at the fire source and a larger, more dispersed population. Self-reported health status and respiratory health outcomes for these two groups were reviewed compared with two unexposed groups. Results: Self-reported health concerns, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath were common in the exposed. Rates for chronic respiratory conditions increased in all groups from before to after deployment. Postdeployment medical encounters for chronic respiratory conditions among the exposed did not differ significantly from the unexposed comparison groups. Conclusion: Potential exposure to the sulfur fire was positively associated with self-reported health concerns and symptoms but not with clinical encounters for chronic respiratory health conditions.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/JOM.0b013e3182572e37