VA Office of Research and Development
The purpose of the study is to better understand the health, including lung health, of Veterans who deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), or Operation New Dawn (OND) and other deployments following these Operations.
The aim of the study is to characterize the impact of deployment-related pollution exposures during the Post-9/11 Gulf War Era on current respiratory health using objectively ascertained and standardized physiologic and epidemiologic measures. The primary objective in support of this aim is to assess the association of cumulative exposure to PM2.5 during deployments to the U.S. bases and other locations in Central Asia (Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan), Southwest Asia (Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates) and Africa (Djibouti) with current measures of pulmonary function. Secondary objecti…
Inclusion Criteria: * Served during the Post-9/11 Gulf War Era in a service branch that had land-based deployments (Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps) * Deployed to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, or Djibouti between October 1, 2001 and August 31, 2021 Exclusion Criteria: * Active duty at the time of recruitment * Impaired decision making capacity * No English language proficiency * Prisoners