Quantifying Classification Exposure Dose From the Pilot Veteran Military Occupational and Environmental Assessment...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Neuroscience
• Military Medicine

Background:

• Military personnel and Veterans face complex environmental hazards.
• Quantifying these exposures is challenging due to limited objective data and reliance on self-reporting.
• The Classification Exposure Dose (Class-ED) framework is introduced to estimate exposure dose from self-reported data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the Class-ED framework for quantifying military environmental exposures.
• To analyze the relationship between Class-ED scores and neurobehavioral symptoms in Veterans.
• To assess the impact of environmental exposures on neurological quality of life.

Main Methods:

• Class-ED scores were calculated across fuel-related (FUEL), air quality (AQ), and radiation (RADI) domains.
• Analysis included neurobehavioral symptoms (cognitive, affective, somatosensory, vestibular) and neurological quality of life.
• A sample of 52 post-deployed, treatment-seeking Veterans was studied using generalized linear models.

Main Results:

• Class-ED FUEL exposure was the most consistent predictor of neurological symptom burden, significantly associated with global, cognitive, affective, and vestibular symptoms.
• Class-ED RADI was linked to cognitive symptoms; Class-ED AQ showed no significant associations with most symptom domains.
• Depression was a strong predictor across all neurobehavioral symptoms and neurological quality of life.

Conclusions:

• The Class-ED approach effectively quantifies aggregate, self-reported military environmental exposures.
• This framework links exposures to specific neurobehavioral symptom patterns.
• Class-ED offers a scalable method for future research and integration into veteran care.