One man's trash...is another man's trash, too

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rey Ramon
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Ask Tech. Sgt. James Thompson to describe what he does for the Air Force and this is what you'll hear: "I take trash, analyze trash, and tell you how to handle the trash.'"

Sergeant Thompson, an analyst with Detachment 3 of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, a tenant unit at Kadena, spends his days working with chemical compounds and crazy mathematics, applying first the one and then the other to samples gleaned from the detachment's consulting division or other Pacific Command bases.

While Det. 3 is an Air Force Material Command asset, assigned to USAFSAM at Brooks City-Base, Texas, they have provided direct support to the Pacific theater from Kadena for nearly two decades.

The detachment's projects range from assessing occupational and environmental exposure, providing hazardous material incident response training, to developing sampling and analysis plans to ensure safe drinking water for PACAF installations. They also take care of industrial hygiene and environmental laboratory issues and support over 42 different units, spanning 7,500 miles throughout the Pacific. This is a demanding task for such a small tenant unit charged with the responsibility to ensure Department of Defense installations are complying with U.S. and host nation standards.

Sergeant Thompson said his work is directly linked to the protection of this generation and generations to come. Currently he analyzes samples for the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls, a toxic group of chemicals commonly found in electrical transformers prior to the US production ban in 1979.

"These carcinogenic and mutagenic chemicals can affect people for many generations to come," he said. As most of these older transformers were replaced "there are still some out there and we get samples daily to test for PCB's all around PACOM."

The detachment is comprised of two divisions; the consultant division and the analytical division. These divisions rely on each other to conduct their mission. The lab has in-house capabilities for testing drinking water, wastewater, hazardous waste, air filters and bulk samples for potentially dangerous compounds.


"We work hand-in-hand with our analytical division," said Maj. Timothy Allmann, Det. 3 USAFSAM consultant division chief. "The lab provides the capability to analyze samples we may collect or from individual bases we're supporting."

A large portion of the lab's work comes from testing material containing polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals and asbestos -- all disease or cancer-causing materials. When projects exceed the base's capabilities or expertise, the detachment has functional experts to take on those special projects.

"We are an integral part of keeping our environment safe for our generation and generations to come," said Maj. Michael Pope, Det 3 USAFSAM analytical division chief. "Our personnel analyze environmental and occupational health samples to support decisions about the best ways to protect military members, their families, and our environment."

Detachment 3 provides a unique career broadening opportunity for medical laboratory technologists typically charged with analyzing clinical samples to help with patient diagnoses, to analyzing environmental and occupational health samples to support decisions about the best ways to protect personnel and the environment.

Detachment members like Sergeant Thompson are proud to belong in an organization that is considered a special duty in the medical career field. Only one percent of medical laboratory technologists get the unique opportunity to work as analytical chemists. So Sergeant Thompson spends countless hours in the lab running test after test, enjoying what he does, and keeping Western Pacific bases PCB (aka trash) free.