# CMA: Pulmonary and Systemic Effects of Deployment Related Particulate Matter Exposures

> **NIH VA I01** · VA PUGET SOUND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2021 · —

## Abstract

Over 2.7 million military personnel were deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries in Southwest Asia
and exposed to high levels of particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5, particles small enough to deposit
in the small airways and alveoli) from frequent dust storms, burn-pit smoke (waste burning), and poorly
regulated industrial and vehicular sources. Previous studies have reported that deployed personnel have
experienced symptoms consistent with chronic respiratory disease. However, objective evidence of exposure-
related health effects is limited. To address this concern, VA Cooperative Study #595 “Service and Health
Among Deployed Veterans (SHADE)” is being conducted to examine the hypothesis that greater cumulative
exposure to PM2.5 while deployed is associated with lower lung function assessed by spirometry. A key
strength of SHADE is an exposure assessment approach that will use historical satellite and regional visibility
records to reconstruct deployment-related PM2.5 in 5000 Veterans assessed at 6 centers.
A limitation of spirometry is that it is insensitive to early lung disease. This proposal is one of three
collaborative projects to systematically examine the pulmonary consequences of exposure during deployment.
We will conduct additional assessments in a subset of 280 SHADE participants at four sites (Seattle, Boston,
Minneapolis, and Houston) both with and without respiratory symptoms (cough, wheeze, dyspnea) as
assessed on the CSP #595 respiratory health questionnaire, and with little smoking history (former smokers
with <10 pack years or never smokers). Our hypothesis is that exposure to PM2.5 during deployment to
Southwest Asia and Afghanistan is associated with early and often undiagnosed pulmonary diseases.
In the VA Puget Sound proposal, we will complete 3 additional lung physiology measurements to assess for
abnormalities in gas exchange and in small airways function that could indicate early lung disease. We will
measure the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), a breath test that indirectly measures oxygen
transfer from air to blood, and is a marker of gas exchange abnormality and lung injury. We will also measure
two clinical tests that examine small airways function: (1) impulse oscillometry which uses forced oscillations to
measure small airways resistance (R5-R20), and (2) nitrogen multiple breath washout test to determine the
lung clearance index, a measure of ventilation heterogeneity. The MBW test also provides the functional
residual capacity, a measure of lung volumes not available with spirometry alone. We will examine whether
these clinical tests are associated with respiratory symptoms and air pollution during deployment (PM2.5).
In addition to the physiologic tests in this proposal, as part of the overall collaborative proposal, participants will
also have: (a) structural assessment of the lung by CT scan (project led by Dr. Garshick at the Boston VA) and
(b) assessment of systemic bioma...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10092809
- **Project number:** 5I01BX004609-02
- **Recipient organization:** VA PUGET SOUND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Vincent S Fan
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-01-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10092809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10092809, CMA: Pulmonary and Systemic Effects of Deployment Related Particulate Matter Exposures (5I01BX004609-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10092809. Licensed CC0.

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