As a control, they exposed other mice to dust from similar geological regions outside combat — inert titanium dioxide from Georgia clay; samples from a Montana titanium mine; dirt from Camp Pendleton in California.

作为对照，他们将其他小鼠暴露在战斗以外的类似地质区域的灰尘中——来自乔治亚州粘土的惰性二氧化钛；来自蒙大拿州钛矿的样本；来自加州彭德尔顿营的泥土。