Exposure to toxins—such as heavy metals and air pollution—can result in poor health and wellbeing. Recent scientific and media attention has highlighted negative health outcomes associated with toxic exposures for U.S. military personnel deployed overseas. Despite established health risks, less empirical work has examined whether deployment-related toxic exposures are associated with declines in mental and physical health after leaving military service, particularly among the most recent cohort of veterans deployed after September 11, 2001. Using data from 659 U.S. veterans in the VISN 6 MIRECC Post-Deployment Mental Health Study, we tested whether self-reported toxic exposures were associated with poorer mental and physical health. At baseline, veterans who reported more toxic exposures also reported more mental health, β = 0.14, 95% CI [0.04, 0.23], = 0.004, and physical health symptoms, β = 0.21, 95% CI [0.11, 0.30], < 0.001. Over the next ten years, veterans reporting more toxic exposures also had greater increases in mental health symptoms, β = 0.23, 95% CI [0.15, 0.31], < 0.001, physical health symptoms, β = 0.22, 95% CI [0.14, 0.30], < 0.001, and chronic disease diagnoses, β = 0.15, 95% CI [0.07, 0.23], < 0.001. These associations accounted for demographic and military covariates, including combat exposure. Our findings suggest that toxic exposures are associated with worsening mental and physical health after military service, and this recent cohort of veterans will have increased need for mental health and medical care as they age into midlife and older age.

中文翻译：

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与部署相关的有毒物质暴露与服兵役后精神和身体健康恶化有关：对 9/11 后部署的退伍军人进行自我报告筛查的结果


接触重金属和空气污染等毒素可能会导致健康状况不佳。最近的科学和媒体关注凸显了部署在海外的美国军事人员与有毒物质暴露相关的负面健康后果。尽管存在已知的健康风险，但较少的实证工作检验了与服役相关的有毒物质暴露是否与退伍后精神和身体健康状况的下降有关，特别是在 2001 年 9 月 11 日之后服役的最新一批退伍军人中。使用来自 659 名美国军人的数据。在 VISN 6 MIRECC 部署后心理健康研究中，我们测试了退伍军人自我报告的有毒物质暴露是否与较差的心理和身体健康有关。在基线时，报告有毒物质暴露较多的退伍军人也报告了更多的心理健康状况（β = 0.14，95% CI [0.04，0.23]，= 0.004）和身体健康症状，β = 0.21，95% CI [0.11，0.30]，< 0.001。在接下来的十年中，报告有毒物质暴露较多的退伍军人的心理健康症状也有更大的增加，β = 0.23，95% CI [0.15，0.31]，< 0.001，身体健康症状，β = 0.22，95% CI [0.14， 0.30]，< 0.001，慢性病诊断，β = 0.15，95% CI [0.07，0.23]，< 0.001。这些关联考虑了人口和军事协变量，包括战斗暴露。我们的研究结果表明，有毒物质暴露与服兵役后心理和身体健康状况恶化有关，而最近这群退伍军人随着年龄的增长，对心理健康和医疗护理的需求将增加。