MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Within every industrial work center on MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, the 6th Medical Group’s Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight is on the ground identifying workplace hazards, implementing safety controls, training personnel and advising commanders on risks to the overall mission.
When Airmen do encounter inevitable hazards from aircraft paint and industrial chemicals to excessive noise, heat and radiation that exposure is documented, becoming part of a permanent record that supports future Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims.
The Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record, or ILER, is a secure, joint web-based application managed by the Defense Department and the VA that compiles occupational and deployment-related exposure information. The Flight gathers this data, inputting it directly into the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System, or DOEHRS, to automatically populate ILER.
"Awareness is key. We need more Airmen to know this system exists, to actively review their data and to use it to advocate for their own health," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Laura Russo, 6th Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering flight commander. "It is still a developing system, but it gives Airmen real power. You can log in today, review your exposure history before you separate or retire and ensure it’s accurate. The more people use ILER, the more it will be prioritized."
Designed for transparency, ILER ensures all documented hazards are fully accessible. Using a Common Access Card, or CAC, active-duty service members can securely log in to the ILER portal to see exactly what has been recorded in their work centers and even self-report missing deployment or garrison information.
Crucially, ILER is an exposure record, not a medical record. It links a service member’s duty locations to known hazards, creating an "exposure story." This tracking extends far beyond the home station. During deployments, the bioenvironmental engineering and public health flights generate Periodic Occupational and Environmental Monitoring Summaries, or POEMs, which document location-specific environmental hazards, such as airborne particulates. Once approved by higher headquarters, these summaries are permanently linked to a deployed member’s ILER profile.
Military clinicians access this data through MHS GENESIS to guide patient care, while VA adjudicators use it to verify and expedite claims, including those under the PACT Act, the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history that adds presumptive conditions for toxic exposures.
“When you separate from service, ILER provides the documented exposure history needed to support a service-connected disability claim,” Russo added.
While ILER represents a part of the flight's long-term legacy, the team works daily behind the scenes to protect the force. Bioenvironmental Engineering Airmen manages occupational health, environmental health, radiation safety and emergency response programs in partnership with Airmen from Public Health, Wing Safety, Fire and Emergency Services and the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron.
In industrial work centers, these occupational health specialists evaluate ventilation, conduct air sampling and help Public Health determine medical surveillance requirements, such as conducting annual exams for Airmen exposed to fuels, paint, chemicals, noise and many other job-specific hazards.
Bioenvironmental Engineering Airmen safeguard the base's drinking water, test aircraft water points and assess indoor air quality when workplace conditions impact personnel.
“When Airmen report symptoms like headaches, fatigue or respiratory irritation, our team evaluates the work environment,” said Senior Airman Gillian Dacsig, 6th Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering technician. “We measure temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and ventilation to resolve issues before they escalate into larger health concerns.”
The flight also monitors wet bulb globe temperature conditions, issuing daily thermal stress flag notifications to help commanders implement vital work-rest cycles during Florida’s summer heat. They also serve as the installation's radiological safety experts by monitoring occupational exposures around X-ray equipment, evaluating laser hazards and advising incident commanders during emergency hazardous material responses, fuel spills and aircraft incidents.
Though much of their work goes unnoticed, the flight's dual mission remains clear: protect Airmen today and preserve the records they will need tomorrow.
“Prevention is always better than a cure,” Russo said. “But we also know that some exposures simply can't be avoided when you wear this uniform. That’s why our job goes beyond just mitigating risks today, it’s about documenting them so our Airmen are taken care of long after their service ends.”
(Editor's Note: To log into your Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record or to find more information on how to register and review your data, visit the DHA Environmental Exposures Hub - ILER at health.mil.)