Gulf War Illness & Exposures: Open Burn Pits Videos
News reports are beginning to mount and question whether active duty service exposure to open burn pits during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may have, in fact, exposed those service members to respiratory diseases and conditions. These reports below outline a growing problem for recent veterans, their families, the Department of Defense and its contractors, and the VA because of burn pit exposure.
The story of Sean Terry
Sean Terry, a married father of three from Littleton, Colo., and a Marine developed esophageal cancer upon his return from active duty in Iraq, where he was exposed to open burn pits near Fallujah. The 33-year-old died in April 2014 after a seven-month battle with the disease. (Jan. 28, 2015)
Veterans claim burn pits contractor responsible for lung illnesses
Brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder are two well-known signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But there is another injury, lung disease, that afflicts tens of thousands of veterans. Many blame a single defense contractor and have filed a class action lawsuit for burn pit exposure, a case that has now made its way to the Supreme Court. (PBS, Nov. 17, 2014)
Contractor says there were no safe alternatives to burning trash in Iraq, Afghanistan
Did burn pit exposure sicken military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan? Robert Matthews is the lead counsel for KBR, a contractor who was tasked with disposing of waste for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Matthews says alternatives to burning were not available due to security issues in combat zones. (PBS, Nov. 17, 2014)
Defense official says some vets may be sick from burn pits, but not many
Did noxious burn pits sicken military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan? Craig Postlewaite a top official in the defense department’s public health division. Postlewaite says it’s possible some veterans are sick due to bad air quality around bases in combat zones, but says it’s not likely that many were affected. (PBS, Nov. 17, 2014)
The deadly legacy of open air burn pits
Throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US military used “burn pits” to handle trash — everything from plastic bottles to medical waste was dumped into the pits and lit aflame. Now, thousands of soldiers are blaming those pits for serious illnesses, while the military and VA deny that any health crisis exists. (The Verge, Oct. 28, 2013)
Trash burn pits in Afghanistan
Reporting on a dangerous health risk for soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan: toxic smoke from open-air trash burn pits. (CBS News, June 26, 2010)
Why burn pits could be Obama’s Agent Orange
Government officials, veteran advocates, and journalists are all making a connection between Agent Orange and Afghan burn pits. Both involve a heavy amount of government denial, and both involve horrific health issues perpetrated by US wars. (RT America, July 30, 2014)