Potential Health Impacts of Jet Fuel Exposure on the Hematologic and Cardiovascular Systems

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the possible hematologic and cardiovascular health effects of jet fuels used by the US military. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System handbook to evaluate the scientific evidence for hematologic and cardiovascular effects following jet fuel exposure. RESULTS: Human evidence for hematologic and cardiovascular outcomes was indeterminate; the few studies available were considered low confidence or uninformative. Animal toxicological studies provided slight evidence that jet fuel exposure produces effects on the hematologic system but indeterminate evidence for cardiovascular effects. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that the hematologic system might be sensitive to jet fuel exposure; however, uncertainty remains due to the limited epidemiologic and mechanistic studies and the minimal changes observed in animal studies. The available evidence is inadequate to assess the possible cardiovascular effects of jet fuels.