Courtesy Photo | Industrial Hygienists Lt. Adiaratou Sidibe (left) from NMRTC Twentynine Palms and Kurt...... read more read more
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – The Industrial Hygiene (IH) team from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms recently collaborated with counterparts from NMRTC Camp Pendleton and their Marines on March 25 to conduct Blast Overpressure (BOP) sampling at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms.
The visit, coordinated by NMRTC Camp Pendleton Industrial Hygienists Jamie Goldbergh and Kurt Bowen, was an opportunity for cross-collaboration and hands-on experience for both facilities' IH teams while they conducted sampling to meet Department of Defense policy requirements. From NH Twentynine Palms, Chris Queen, Patrice Reed, and Lt. Adiaratou Sidibe participated in the event, working side-by-side with the visiting team to support and observe the BOP monitoring process.
“This was a valuable opportunity to take part in the groundwork and receive firsthand training,” said Lt. Sidibe, Department Head for Industrial Hygiene. “We’re required by Navy Medicine to complete this monitoring for all at-risk Marine Corps commands by June 2025, so this collaboration helped us prepare to meet that requirement.”
Blast Overpressure is defined as the sharp, instantaneous rise above ambient atmospheric pressure resulting from an explosion. It can result from high-explosive detonations such as breaching operations, or from low-explosive deflagrations such as those produced by firing weapon systems. Both acute and repetitive exposure to BOP can have detrimental effects on the brain, potentially leading to issues like headaches, slowed reaction times, difficulty concentrating, and even memory loss.
“BOP exposure is a critical occupational hazard,” said Cdr. Christina Carter, Director for Public Health. “It is an Industrial Hygiene requirement from Navy Medicine to monitor and assess these risks for all active-duty commands exposed to such hazards.”
Department of Defense policy directs IH components to identify and track personnel potentially exposed to BOP in the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System – Industrial Hygiene (DOEHRS-IH). The policy prioritizes personnel whose operational duties regularly place them at increased risk for BOP exposure.
To comply, Navy Industrial Hygienists are tasked with identifying processes where BOP is a hazard and entering all relevant data into DOEHRS-IH. Acquisition Technical Support (ATS) Division industrial hygienists within the Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC) IH Department serve as the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and cognizant technical authority regarding the IH aspects of the BOP hazard through the system’s lifecycle.
Continued partnerships and collaborative field training events like this help ensure that the United States Navy and Marine Corps remain mission-ready and compliant with force health protection policies.
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2025 12:42 |
| Story ID: | 495768 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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