Civilian mass exposure to hydrazine after an F-16 crash: a retrospective descriptive study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hydrazine is a volatile and highly toxic monopropellant used in the Emergency Power Unit (EPU) of F-16 aircraft. Although hydrazine is widely used in both military and industrial contexts, reports of its effects in non-occupational civilian populations are extremely limited. Acute civilian mass exposures are almost never systematically documented. On December 12, 2016, an F-16 crash in Diyarbakır, Türkiye, released hydrazine into an open-field setting, exposing unprotected civilians. This study aimed to characterize acute manifestations, evaluate associations with exposure duration and route, and identify operational implications.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of 30 previously healthy male civilians exposed at the crash site. Clinical data

SUBMITTER: Ucar AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12542269 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature