History of Air Force Toxicology

Abstract

The U.S. Air Force Toxicology program traces its beginning to the early 1950s with the hiring of Dr. Anthony A. Thomas. He assembled a staff consisting of a medical technologist, a pharmacologist, and a veterinary pathologist in the basement of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Area B hospital dispensary. Studies were initiated on the occupational toxicology of missile propellants and oxidizers. As the program grew in productivity and importance, it was moved to its present location in Building 79. There, four inhalation toxicology chambers with hypobaric, continuous exposure capability were constructed. They were named the 'Thomas Domes' after the originator of the design. These original and four additional domes served as the 'backbone' for inhalation studies on oxygen-enriched atmospheres, the hydrazine propellants, carbon monoxide, and a number of other compounds of interest to the Navy, Air Force, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the 1960s and 1970s. The paper traces Air Force toxicology through the era of continuous inhalation exposure into inhalation carcinogenicity exposure and finally to the development of physiologically based, pharmacokinetic modeling

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADP008726

Entities

People

  • Vernon L. Carter Jr.

Organizations

  • Ohio State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Force Operations
  • Air Force Personnel
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Biomedical Research
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Employment
  • Environment
  • Medical Laboratories
  • Medical Personnel
  • Navy
  • Personnel Management
  • Risk Analysis
  • Spacecraft Cabins
  • Toxic Hazards
  • Toxicology

Readers

  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology

Technology Areas

  • Space