THURSDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) — While the risks of gunfire
and explosive devices to U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq are obvious, new
research suggests that high levels of air pollution in that country might
pose a threat to their respiratory health.
Scientists have been collecting air samples in Baghdad since 2008, and
they found that the Iraqi air often contains fine particulate matter made
up of many elements, including silica, sulfates and heavy metals, such as
lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. Fine particulate matter is of greater
concern than large particulate matter because these tiny particles can
travel deep into the lungs, where they can cause more damage.
Some air quality readings in Iraq found that the fine particulate
matter was nearly 10 times higher than the levels generally considered
acceptable in the United States.
“There is concern with the amount of the fine particles in the
atmosphere that the soldiers, and
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