Bioenvironmental engineers keep people healthy Published Oct. 6, 2005 By Senior Airman Christian Michael 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Staff Sgt. Terrence Jaimungal dips a vial into the Back River and comes back up with water, dirt, grass and other visible objects. But it is the things that cannot be seen by the naked eye that Sergeant Jaimungal is concerned with -- things most Airmen will not notice but can do them harm, such as bacteria or viruses. As a bioenvironmental engineer, Sergeant Jaimungal is helping to ensure people here can safely execute the mission. The 1st Aerospace Medical Squadron Airmen ensure that workplaces and homes on base are environmentally and occupationally safe, as well as protect troops’ hearing, sight, skin, and general health and wellness. The small, 12-person flight comprises occupational health, environmental health and administration. Managing health hazards around base to keep all Airmen here safe is their main function. “Our job is to minimize exposure to occupational and environmental hazards,” said Maj. Joseph Costantino, bioenvironmental engineering flight commander. “There are hazards around us all the time, and we stay focused on the three components of those hazards: the source, the pathway and the receiver.” These components are how the flight classifies and then deals with possible health hazards, Major Costantino said. If a building has a hazard like asbestos in the walls, the staff must determine if the source can be removed. If the building is occupied, used at full capacity or if demolition is not an option, they work on sealing the hazard to minimize the effect on people or receivers. While people are in their workplace, they are educated and informed on current, new and growing occupational health hazards. Factors such as jet noise require crew chiefs to wear proper ear protection. Flightline crews must be aware when radar equipment is active in a landed aircraft and avoid exposure. Nondestructive inspection crews taking X-rays of aircraft on the flightline and medical technicians must ensure that proper areas are cordoned off to prevent over-exposure to X-ray radiation. All of these examples are situations monitored by Airmen in the occupational health section of the flight. “We visit all the industrial shops on base,” said Sergeant Jaimungal, noncommissioned officer in charge of industrial hygiene. “We keep the base out of trouble by keeping our Airmen healthy and safe by testing for chemical, physical and biological hazards in the areas they work.” Using highly specialized equipment costing as much as $100,000, they also test the air, water, noise-level, radiation and biological elements in people’s homes and workplaces. “A big consideration we deal with lately is air sampling for metal grindings in aircraft component shops,” Sergeant Jaimungal said. “We test for chromates, beryllium, lead … metals that can enter the blood and cause serious health conditions. The environmental health Airmen in the flight consider the effects from hazards in the air and natural water supply. They conduct tests to ensure that simply living in the area won’t pose health problems to anyone. The flight keeps close tabs on all health considerations in peacetime and war, both at home and abroad. They are on the heels of first responders to identify and quantify health hazards posed by terrorist attacks, industrial incidents or weapons of mass destruction. “We’ve walked into tents overseas to find troops up to their elbows in degreaser with absolutely no protective gear on,” said Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Tubridy, flight NCOIC. “Not to mention the almost certain dermatitis they could face through prolonged exposure to such a substance, it is a sign of general lack of proper protective gear in the workplace.” The health-risk assessments performed by the bioenvironmental engineering flights are not an inspection of people’s jobs but how safe and healthy it is to work there, Sergeant Tubridy said. If dangers in the work place are inherent to the job itself, then Airmen must be properly and personally prepared to stay healthy and mission-capable. This could range from ear protection to sunglasses and helmets to respirators. Whether working hazards in heavy industrial shops, on the waterfront or in the housing area, they try to keep the customer and their health in mind. “It’s very rewarding when someone on base calls here because someone else refers them to us,” Sergeant Tubridy said. “We keep it very customer service-oriented here. Sometimes that means dropping what we’re doing and helping the customer firsthand.”