Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergency Situations - K.O. Pashka 2005

Occupational hygiene of military personnel during the mitigation of emergency consequences and in wartime
Occupational hygiene of military personnel in the Air Force

Aviation hygiene is an independent branch of aviation medicine that integrates A number of medical disciplines. The Specific features of Sanitary and hygienic measures implemented in the Air Force are determined by several factors outlined below.

During flight, aircrews are affected by a drop in atmospheric pressure inside the aircraft, which can lead to oxygen starvation, thereby reducing human performance (capacity for work) and disrupting normal physiological Functions. A rapid decrease in barometric pressure due to aircraft damage may, under certain conditions, cause acute decompression sickness.

In military aviation, particularly fighter aviation, pilots experience significant accelerations during flight that frequently impose immense physiological loads on the body. These forces arise during increases in flight speed or sharp changes in flight direction.

In addition to accelerations and barometric pressure fluctuations, a pilot's body is affected by intense noise generated by engines, propellers, or jet turbines; aircraft vibration; substantial Temperature extremes; and air pollution caused by exhaust gases, pyrolysis products, and fuel or lubricant residues. Military aviation duties, performed by both pilots and other Air Force specialists, often demand high neuro-emotional strain. Pressurized cabins and high-altitude life support systems (ALSS) make it possible to overcome the physiological barrier of high altitude and space vacuum, as well as to prevent acute hypobaric Hypoxia (AHH). However, ALSS restrict the pilot's mobility within the cockpit, complicate eating, drinking, and physiological relief, narrow the visual field, impair heat exchange, and contribute to physical and mental fatigue. In the event of cabin depressurization during high-altitude flight, ALSS fail to provide an adequate level of protection. Therefore, under conditions of AHH, The Challenge of preserving physical performance—which is essential for mission success and often for saving the pilot's life—must be addressed. The impact of adverse factors on humans can be significantly mitigated, and some factors completely eliminated, through technical and preventive medical measures justified and developed with the participation of hygiene physicians. For instance, to enable a pilot to function under AHH conditions, they undergo "high-altitude" training in a barochamber, an express method involving stepwise ascents over three days, and an interval adaptation principle in the barochamber. The primary link in The system of preventive measures is the hygienic standardization of these factors to protect individuals from their harmful effects.

To identify and study the causes of Changes in the health status of Air Force personnel, especially flight crews, the medical service conducts regular medical monitoring. The health status of flight personnel is monitored during:

- the preparation and execution of flights;

- the inter-commission period;

- special training sessions on flight simulators;

- physical training periods.

Preserving health and maintaining high performance among flight crews is a prerequisite for enhancing flight safety. This is ensured through the systematic Structure/175.html">Implementation of sequentially executed medical measures, including:

- selecting candidates for training in flight schools exclusively whose health status meets the requirements of the aviation profession and enables future flight operations in advanced aircraft under any conditions;

- daily monitoring of the health status of cadet and flight personnel during training and flight activities, as well as periodic medical examinations that allow for the timely detection of health disorders and the implementation of therapeutic and wellness measures;

- studying flight operational conditions and the causes of morbidity to take measures that promote the preservation of flight crews' health and the extension of their flight performance capacity;

- annual routine medical examinations of flight and cadet personnel by medical-flight commission specialists who, based on an analysis of clinical test results and daily medical observation data, issue an expert judgment regarding fitness for flight work or flight training;

- extraordinary medical examinations of flight and cadet personnel during the inter-commission period to detect health disorders that may alter the expert decision regarding fitness for flight work or flight training.

Several types of medical examinations for flight personnel are distinguished. Pilots, navigators, and other crew members undergo routine annual medical examinations by medical-flight commission specialists. Upon reaching the age of 35, pilots and navigators are subject to inpatient evaluation at a hospital, and if deemed healthy, they undergo outpatient examinations over the subsequent two years. A repeat inpatient examination is scheduled every third year. If the hospital's medical-flight commission deems these crew members fit for flight duty with restrictions, their examination is conducted on an outpatient basis the following year, followed by a repeat inpatient examination In the second year.

Other crew members, regardless of age, undergo outpatient examinations, and inpatient evaluations are conducted solely based on medical indications.

Upon summarizing the results of the flight personnel's examination, the unit physician develops a plan of medical-preventive measures that provides for the implementation of all recommendations made by the medical-flight commission aimed at preserving health and maintaining high professional performance, and has it approved by the commander.

Timely and high-quality implementation by the medical service of measures based on the results of medical-flight expertise, the vast majority of which have a hygienic focus, serves as an essential foundation for preserving the health of flight crews, extending their working capacity, enhancing flight safety, and preventing flight incidents associated with changes in their health status.