TY - JOUR
T1 - The Long-Term Impact of Fuel Exposure (LIFE) Study
T2 - A Tri-Service Cohort of United States Veterans with Military Occupational Exposure to Jet Fuels
AU - Heitz, Elizabeth R.
AU - Tilton, Nicholas A.
AU - Bergeron, Justin G.
AU - Wolff, Gregory
AU - Rusiecki, Jennifer A.
AU - Schneiderman, Aaron I.
AU - Monks, Warren S.
AU - Edwards, Christopher
AU - Marchetti, Gillon D.
AU - Vincent-Hall, Terra D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the authors.
PY - 2025/9
Y1 - 2025/9
N2 - Jet fuels are a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and performance additives, including some compounds with established human toxicity. They represent a significant occupational hazard for military personnel; however, little is known about possible long-term health effects, particularly following cessation of exposure. In response to United States (US) Veterans’ concerns, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) launched a large retrospective cohort study to assess the impact of military occupational jet fuel exposure on Veterans’ health. The Long-Term Impact of Fuel Exposure (LIFE) cohort consists of over 1.3 million Veterans who entered service on or after 1 January 1995, including both individuals with jet fuel-exposed occupations in their service history and a random sample of unexposed Veterans. Data from multiple VA and DoD administrative datasets were linked to evaluate morbidity, disability, and mortality endpoints. Analyses are underway to assess associations between jet fuel exposure and adverse health outcomes in multiple body systems. This study represents the largest effort to date to investigate these effects, with the intention of informing policies affecting Veterans for years to come.
AB - Jet fuels are a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and performance additives, including some compounds with established human toxicity. They represent a significant occupational hazard for military personnel; however, little is known about possible long-term health effects, particularly following cessation of exposure. In response to United States (US) Veterans’ concerns, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) launched a large retrospective cohort study to assess the impact of military occupational jet fuel exposure on Veterans’ health. The Long-Term Impact of Fuel Exposure (LIFE) cohort consists of over 1.3 million Veterans who entered service on or after 1 January 1995, including both individuals with jet fuel-exposed occupations in their service history and a random sample of unexposed Veterans. Data from multiple VA and DoD administrative datasets were linked to evaluate morbidity, disability, and mortality endpoints. Analyses are underway to assess associations between jet fuel exposure and adverse health outcomes in multiple body systems. This study represents the largest effort to date to investigate these effects, with the intention of informing policies affecting Veterans for years to come.
KW - Veterans
KW - aircraft fuel
KW - chronic disease
KW - exposure assessment
KW - health outcomes
KW - jet fuel
KW - long-term effects
KW - military
KW - occupational health
KW - retrospective cohort
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105017390736&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph22091337
DO - 10.3390/ijerph22091337
M3 - Article
C2 - 41007481
AN - SCOPUS:105017390736
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 22
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 9
M1 - 1337
ER -