Human Exposure to the Jet Fuel, JP-8
Tu RH, Mitchell CS, Kay GG, Risby TH. Human exposure to the jet fuel, JP-8. Aviat Space Environ Med 2004; 75:49–59.
Introduction: This study investigates anecdotal reports that have suggested adverse health effects associated with acute or chronic exposure to jet fuel. Methods: JP-8 exposure during the course of the study day was estimated using breath analysis. Health effects associated with exposure were measured using a neurocognitive testing battery and liver and kidney function tests. Results: Breath analysis provided an estimate of an individual’s recent JP-8 exposure that had occurred via inhalation and dermal routes. All individuals studied on base exhaled aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons that are found in JP-8. The subject who showed evidence of the most exposure to JP-8 had a breath concentration of 11.5 mg ยท m−3 for total JP-8. This breath concentration suggested that exposure to JP-8 at an Air Guard Base is much less than exposure observed at other Air Force Bases. This reduction in exposure to JP-8 is attributed to the safety practices and standard operating procedures carried out by base personnel. The base personnel who exhibited the highest exposures to JP-8 were fuel cell workers, fuel specialists and smokers, who smoked downwind from the flightline. Discussion: Although study-day exposures appear to be much less than current guidelines, chronic exposure at these low levels appeared to affect neurocognitive functioning. JP-8-exposed individuals performed significantly poorer than a sample of non-exposed age- and education-matched individuals on 20 of 47 measures of information processing and other cognitive functions.
Introduction: This study investigates anecdotal reports that have suggested adverse health effects associated with acute or chronic exposure to jet fuel. Methods: JP-8 exposure during the course of the study day was estimated using breath analysis. Health effects associated with exposure were measured using a neurocognitive testing battery and liver and kidney function tests. Results: Breath analysis provided an estimate of an individual’s recent JP-8 exposure that had occurred via inhalation and dermal routes. All individuals studied on base exhaled aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons that are found in JP-8. The subject who showed evidence of the most exposure to JP-8 had a breath concentration of 11.5 mg ยท m−3 for total JP-8. This breath concentration suggested that exposure to JP-8 at an Air Guard Base is much less than exposure observed at other Air Force Bases. This reduction in exposure to JP-8 is attributed to the safety practices and standard operating procedures carried out by base personnel. The base personnel who exhibited the highest exposures to JP-8 were fuel cell workers, fuel specialists and smokers, who smoked downwind from the flightline. Discussion: Although study-day exposures appear to be much less than current guidelines, chronic exposure at these low levels appeared to affect neurocognitive functioning. JP-8-exposed individuals performed significantly poorer than a sample of non-exposed age- and education-matched individuals on 20 of 47 measures of information processing and other cognitive functions.
Keywords: breath analysis; exposure assessment; neurocognitive effects; renal and liver function
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 January 2004
- The peer-reviewed monthly journal, Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine (ASEM) provides contact with physicians, life scientists, bioengineers, and medical specialists working in both basic medical research and in its clinical applications. It is the most used and cited journal in its field. ASEM is distributed to more than 80 nations.
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