Environmental Health
for Ground Forces
Introduction
Medical officers must understand the interplay between environmental conditions and
the status of a populations health if they are to preserve their units combat
effectiveness. In every war for which statistics have been recorded, military forces have
lost more personnel to infectious/communicable disease and nonbattle injury (DNBI) than to
direct combat with opposing forces.
Environmental health
Environmental health safeguards are the instruments to preserve combat
effectiveness by limiting DNBIs. Critical elements to a units health include:
assurance of potable water and safe food; proper management of wastes and human excreta;
and prevention of heat and cold injuries. Preventive medicine personnel (environmental
health officers, preventive medicine technicians, or senior medical department
representatives) assigned to the support element of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
are responsible to ensure these safeguards are in place. However, medical officers are
often called on to brief operational commanders on these and other preventive medicine
topics. The following are general responsibilities that the medical department has for
field sanitation:
Potable water supply
Medical department representatives (MDRs) shall advise their commanding officer on
water quality issues, assist engineers in selecting water sources, identify potential
health hazards within the potable water system, conduct routine halogen and
bacteriological examinations of water supplies, and recommend water treatment methods.
Food service sanitation
In the field, all factors which normally contribute to foodborne illness outbreaks such
as improper storage and holding temperatures, inadequate protection of food from
contamination, and poor food handler personal hygiene, are exacerbated. The MDR has the
following responsibilities:
-
maintain sanitary surveillance of storage, preparation, and serving of food, and the
disposal of food wastes
Waste management
All types of waste are generated each day in the field. If they are not disposed of
properly, the camp will quickly become an ideal breeding area for flies, rats, and other
vermin. Diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, cholera, dengue, and plague could compromise
the integrity of the unit. To combat this problem, MDRs provide technical assistance in
the fabrication, location, and maintenance of field waste-disposal facilities. They also
inspect these facilities before their initial use to ensure their proper construction and
location, and then reinspect on a daily basis.
Heat and cold injuries
Heat and cold injuries are a major threat to field operations, but are preventable
through sound leadership and planning. Refer to the Cold Injury / Heat Injury chapter of
this manual.
SOURCES OF MEDICAL
INTELLIGENCE FOR THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS
Navy Environmental
Health Center
2510 Walmer Ave
Norfolk, VA 23513-2617
COM (757) 462-5500
After Hours: (757) 621-1967
prevmed@med.navy.mil |
Officer in Charge
Navy Environmental and Preventive
Medicine Unit 2
1887 Powhatan St
Norfolk, VA 23511-3394
DSN 564-7671
COM (757) 444-7671
FAX (757) 444-1191
PMU@SALTS.aso.navy.mil |
Officer in Charge
Navy Environmental and Preventive
Medicine Unit 5
Naval Station BOX 368143
3235 Albacore Alley
San Diego, CA 92136-5199
DSN 526-7070
COM (619) 556-7070
FAX (619) 556-7071
nepmu5@nepmu5.med.navy.mil |
Officer in Charge
Navy Environmental and Preventive
Medicine Unit 6
1215 NORTH RD
Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-4477
DSN 471-9505
COM (808) 473-0555
FAX (808) 473-2754
nepmu6@nepmu6.med.navy.mil |
Officer-in-Charge,
Navy Disease Vector Ecology and Control Center
19950 Seventh Ave NE
Poulsbo, WA 98370-5000
DSN 322-4450
COM (360) 315-4450
FAX (360) 315-4455
postmaster@ndvecc.navy.mil |
Officer-in-Charge
Navy Environmental and Preventive
Medicine Unit 7 (Sigonella, Italy)
PSC 824 BOX 2760
FPO AE 09627-2760
DSN 624-4101/3986
COM 39-95-56-4099/4101
FAX 39-95-56-4100
sig1pmu@sig10.med.navy.mil |
Officer-in-Charge,
Navy Disease Vector Ecology and Control Center
Naval Air Station, BOX 43, Bldg. 937
Jacksonville, FL 32212-0043
DSN 942-2424
COM (904) 542-2424
FAX (904) 542-4324
dvj0ccj@jax10.med.navy.mil |
Armed Forces Medical
Intelligence Center
Fort Detrick, Bldg. 1607
Frederick, MD 21702-5004
DSN 343-7574
COM (301) 619-7574
FAX (301) 619-2409 |
References
-
NAVMED P-5010, Manual of Naval Preventive Medicine Chapter 9 ,"Preventive Medicine
for Ground Forces, " for detailed guidance regarding environmental health issues in
the field.
-
US Army Field Manual FM 21-10, "Field Hygiene and Sanitation." Your
preventive medicine representatives should have these in their library.
Submitted by LTJG Allen Wright, MSC, USNR,. Reviewed by CDR K. Ockermann, MSC,
USN, Head, Environmental Health Department, NEPMU-6 Pearl
|
Preface
· Administrative Section
· Clinical Section
The
General Medical Officer Manual , NAVMEDPUB 5134, January 1, 2000
Bureau
of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington, D.C.,
20372-5300
This
web version of The General Medical Officer Manual, NAVMEDPUB 5134 is provided by
The Brookside Associates
Medical Education Division. It contains original contents from the
official US Navy version, but has been reformatted for web access and
includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version.
This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the
Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not
constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the Department of
Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private
organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense. All
material in this version is unclassified. This formatting © 2006
Medical Education Division,
Brookside Associates, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Home
·
Textbooks and Manuals
·
Videos
·
Lectures
·
Distance Learning
·
Training
·
Operational Safety
·
Search
This website is dedicated to the development and dissemination of medical information that may be useful to those who practice Operational Medicine. This website is privately-held and not connected to any governmental agency. The views expressed here are those of the authors, and unless otherwise noted, do not necessarily reflect the views of
the Brookside Associates, Ltd., any governmental or private organizations. All writings, discussions, and publications on this website are unclassified.
© 2006 Medical Education Division, Brookside Associates, Ltd. All rights reserved
Other Brookside Products
Contact Us
|
|