Burn Pit Emission and Respirable Sand Exposures in Rats: NMR-Based Urinary Metabolomic Assessment
Abstract
The present study, utilizing a rat model, investigated the unusual pulmonary morbidity that has been reported in military personnel deployed to the Middle East. It has been hypothesized that these adverse health effects are caused by inhalation exposure to combustion smoke emissions emitted from open burning of mixed solid waste (burn pit emissions) mixed with particulate matter (blowing desert sand) in the theatre of operation. This study involved four experimental animal groups over a 37-day protocol involving inhalation exposure to clean air (controls), aerosol sand for 20 days (sand alone), burn pit emissions for 5 days (emissions alone), or sand followed by burn pit emissions (combined exposure). A cohort of rats provided urine samples at specific times during the 127-day protocol. Overall, NMR analysis of rat urine indicated that the largest effect on urinary metabolite profiles was associated with time. This finding was observed for both the control group and experimental exposure groups. It was also observed that the greatest difference in urine metabolite profiles occurred during the exposure timeframe (day 1-38) and the least during the recovery period (day 39-97). However, the effects due to exposure (emission and sand plus emission) on urinary metabolite profiles became more evident when NMR data was evaluated using a paired analysis at day 33, which is the acclimation time point following sand exposure and preceding the emissions exposure protocol. Results from this study indicated that stress appeared to be a major contributing factor to the changes observed in urinary metabolite profiles during this experimental exposure protocol to sand and burn pit emissions, but minor effects due to exposures could be discerned through careful analyses of the data.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1064148
Entities
People
- Brian A. Wong
- Camilla A. Mauzy
- Nicholas J. Delraso
- Nicholas V. Reo
Organizations
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine