Assessing potentially hazardous environmental exposures among military populations: 2010 symposium and workshop...

From May 19 to May 21, 2010, the Armed Forced Health Surveillance Center and the Uniformed Services University cosponsored an educational symposium and workshop on the assessment of potentially hazardous environmental exposures among military populations. Symposium participants reviewed and analyzed historical exposure events, from herbicides in Vietnam to the 1991 Gulf War oil well fires and World Trade Center dust exposure in 2001, using the framework that the Institute of Medicine developed for addressing environmental exposures and their possible impact on military populations. Historical exposures were critically assessed in terms of methods used to identify and define harmful exposures, to prevent or limit exposures, and to define the health risks to exposed people. The lessons learned were then used during small group discussions to deliberate on the current scientific approach for dealing with hazardous environmental exposures. This article summarizes the major conclusions and proceedings of the symposium and provides suggestions to improve the U.S. military's current strategy on identifying and assessing potentially hazardous environmental exposures.