Observational studySleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2021
Burn pit exposure in military personnel: is there an effect on sleep-disordered breathing?
Observational study in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Investigation of relationship between occupational exposure to aerosol and sleep problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Concordance Between Self-Report and Electronic Medical Record Diagnoses of Insomnia and Sleep Apnea: Lessons From the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry.Medical care · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeExposure to elevated concentrations of respirable particulate matter (< 10 μm) may influence sleep-disordered breathing. Burn pits as utilized by the US military in the Middle East until 2011 produced elevated particle matter concentrations. We seek to determine if subjective exposure to burn pits during deployment affects prevalence or severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in military personnel.
methodsAs part of a prospective observational study of previously deployed military personnel with exertional dyspnea (n = 145), all patients underwent pulmonary function testing, screening for burn pit exposure, and if warranted by questionnaires, overnight polysomnography. A total of 100 patients completed all testing. For analysis, patients were classified into a burn pit exposure group (45 patients) and a no exposure group (55 patients). Additional analyses were performed on those endorsing burn pit maintenance during deployment (25 patients) and those with > 12 h of daily exposure (17 patients).
resultsThe prevalence of OSA, defined by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 5/h, was similarly high in both groups (69% vs. 71%, p = 0.83). Surprisingly, the mean AHI was lower in the exposed group (12.8/h vs. 19.7/h, p = 0.04) while nadir of oxygen saturation was similar (87% vs. 86%, p = 0.39). Subgroup analyses revealed similar findings in those who performed burn pit maintenance (prevalence = 80%, p = 0.58; AHI = 14.8, p = 0.16) and those with > 12 h of daily exposure (prevalence = 88%, p = 0.33; AHI = 18.0, p = 0.62).
conclusionsSubjective burn pit exposure does not appear to influence OSA development in previously deployed military personnel. Given the high rate of OSA in this cohort, continued investigation of deployment exposures which may influence sleep-disordered breathing is recommended.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.