Contributions of Particulate and Gas Phases of Simulated Burn Pit Smoke Exposures to Impairment of Respiratory Function

Objective: Inhalation of smoke from the burning of waste materials on military bases is associated with increased incidences of cardiopulmonary diseases. This study examined the respiratory and inflammatory effects of acute inhalation exposures in mice to smoke generated by military burn pit-related materials including plywood (PW), cardboard (CB), mixed plastics (PL), and a mixture of these three materials (MX) under smoldering (0.84 MCE) and flaming (0.97 MCE) burn conditions.

Methods: Mice were exposed nose-only for one hour on two consecutive days to whole or filtered smoke or clean air alone. Smoldering combustion emissions had greater concentrations of PM (∼40 mg/m) and VOCs (∼5-12 ppmv) than flaming emissions (∼4 mg/m and ∼1-2 ppmv, respectively); filtered emissions had equivalent levels of VOCs with negligible PM. Breathing parameters were assessed during exposure by head-out plethysmography.

Results: All four smoldering burn pit emission types reduced breathing frequency (F) and minute volumes (MV) compared with baseline exposures to clean air, and HEPA filtration significantly reduced the effects of all smoldering materials except CB. Flaming emissions had significantly less suppression of F and MV compared with smoldering conditions. No acute effects on lung inflammatory cells, cytokines, lung injury markers, or hematology parameters were noted in smoke-exposed mice compared with air controls, likely due to reduced respiration and upper respiratory scrubbing to reduce the total deposited PM dose in this short-term exposure.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that material and combustion type influences respiratory responses to burn pit combustion emissions. Furthermore, PM filtration provides significant protective effects only for certain material types.