The average human takes about 12 to 20 breaths each minute. Exactly what those breaths contain is now being monitored in a study.

Airmen are participating in the U.S. Central Command Enhanced Particulate Matter Surveillance Initiative to determine the levels of total solid particulates in the ambient air that Airmen breathe daily.

The 379th Expeditionary Medical Group’s bioenvironmental engineering flight collects samples of particulate matter to obtain information that helps determine potential short- and long-term health effects of personnel deployed in the region.

“The lack of detailed knowledge about the ambient air particulate matter hinders the ability of physicians and other environmental health professionals to determine whether there are short- or long-term health effects from this exposure,” said Maj. Winston Shaffer, 379th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering chief.

The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine has selected two other locations in the area to conduct this program.

Currently, not enough information is known about the concentration and physical properties of the ambient air particulate matter which deployed U.S. and coalition servicemembers are exposed to every day.

“Occupational health physicians need a more complete characterization of the particulate matter concentration and physical properties to determine what potential health effects may exist,” Major Shaffer said.

To accomplish this task, technicians use three portable, battery-powered sampling equipment units to collect ambient air particulate matter samples. These units measure particulate matter ranging from the largest particles in the air to 2.5 microns.

The samples will be collected once every six days over the next year.

There are also sampling pumps, which collect samples in a various sizes. Each unit filters large particulate matter to very small particulate matter.

Using multiple size ranges allows for determination of the amount and characteristics of the particulate matter that can be trapped in the nasal cavity, bypass the nasal system and reach the lungs, which can penetrate the lungs and be taken up the bloodstream.

The largest of the particulate matter comes from sources like dusty roads, soil trilling, quarries and fuel combustion.

The particulate matter that is around 10 microns comes from transportation and industrial processes, while 2.5 micron particulate matter includes particles such as sea salt, pollens and other naturally occurring minerals and metals.

The second aspect of this initiative is the effort to link characteristics of the source material (primarily soils for mineral dust particulates) with the characteristics of the particulate matter that are observed in the local air.

“This component of the study will provide valuable information on how to link source materials with expected contributions of dust and their physical and chemical attributes,” Major Shaffer said. “This would allow for determination of potential mineral dust exposures at sites that are identified as potential base areas.”

Knowledge of potential problems before large scale deployment, through pre-testing of soils and earth materials, could be used to avert or reduce exposure levels by modifying or selecting locations that are more suitable, said Tech. Sgt. Laura Gehrig, bioenvironmental engineering noncommissioned officer in charge.