Biological, Chemical, and Environmental Hazards of Desert Dust to Military Personnel
Mark Lyles
In the Middle East, dust and sand storms are a persistent problem can deliver significant amounts of microparticulates via inhalation into mouth, nasal pharynx, lungs due to fine size abundance. The chronic acute health risks this in deployed personnel have not been well studied nor has effectively characterized as its chemical composition, mineral content, or microbial flora. Scientific experiments designed study samples from Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan physical, chemical, biological characteristics for potential cause adverse effects. Dust different locations were collected examined. addition, human exposure data collected, such environmental concentrations particle distribution meteorological conditions temperature, humidity, wind velocity. Chemical physical characterization each sample taken various including inorganic analysis was conducted, followed by identification biologic flora samples, bacteria, fungi, viruses. Analyzed literature indicates that mineralized microparticulate some is composed calcium carbonate (CaCO3) coating over matrix metallic silica crystals containing variety trace metals constituting ~ 1% weight PM10 μm particles. These particles additionally contain bioavailable aluminum (Al) reactive iron (Fe2 +). Microbial reveals biodiversity bacterial, viruses which 30% known pathogens. level total suspended mass along with physiological present these airborne constitute an excessive PM2.5 particulates suggest coupled elemental metal content risk evidenced recent medical studies reports. when other existing work on inhaled further immediate research warranted critical provide insight full extent damage pathology exposures create. social, financial, political ramifications emanating extensive.
Elsevier eBooks