Lawmakers call for action on burn pits

[VFFSSGT]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/military_burnpit_102708w/

"However, Air Force officials say no substantive health problems have been definitively linked to the burn pit plume, and they add that the situation has improved since Curtis wrote his memo."

Really? The Air Force still insist there are no problems with this burn pit??? Geez, why don't we just burn trash at home stations then? Ummm...I'm pretty sure anyone with common sense knows it is toxic and dangerous to one's health. It is amazing it has taken nearly 4 years for it to get publicized when we were addressing the problem in 2005 and I am sure before then.

We can burn toxic trash in Iraq but we can't throw batteries in the trash at home station... :rolleyes: I guess the well known hazards aren't hazards on that side of the world; the rules of science must mysteriously change over there. All of the training as a firefighter I have contradicts what the Air Force is saying publicly about this burn pit.

...for the record, I have developed chronic health problems since being there, which I have gotten extremely poor medical care for....go figure, saving money for posh pods is more important than our health care.

[Variable Wind]

Ill say what our Marine friends said when we asked them what we did with our HAZMAT in the hangar.

"Just dump it wherever, its not like youre gonna be buying a house here in 10 years is it?"

[technomage1]

When I left Balad, the medical folks had no issue with putting a letter in my records about the burn pit stating that I may have been exposed to stuff. I have suffered no ill effects so far.

Is it perfect? No, but realistically what are the options? Can't landfill from lack of space, can't pay a contractor to truck it off due to security concerns, etc.

[BRUWIN]

When I left Balad, the medical folks had no issue with putting a letter in my records about the burn pit stating that I may have been exposed to stuff. I have suffered no ill effects so far.

Is it perfect? No, but realistically what are the options? Can't landfill from lack of space, can't pay a contractor to truck it off due to security concerns, etc.

I just came back a few months ago and it seemed the burned pit was a lot better than when I was there in 2006. To be honest....as long as that fire has been burning I would have thought it would have been front page news on the Air Force times years ago.

[Cornbreadrules]

Another wonderful leadership decision and no one will except responsibility to and get punished for! We couldnt do that stateside or in the European theater!

[BadHairCut]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/military_burnpit_102708w/

"However, Air Force officials say no substantive health problems have been definitively linked to the burn pit plume, and they add that the situation has improved since Curtis wrote his memo."



Hmmm. Isn't that what they used to say about agent orange.....and the anthrax shot??

[Shrike]

Anyone spent any amount of time at Eskan Village or in Kabul? Each time I did my post-deployment surveys I made sure to list concerns about the absolutely horrible air quality at those locations. Nobody ever seemed to care, which is not a surprise.

My cynical opinion is that the military's stance is "If any problems develop because of our exposing our members to these conditions, they will most likely develop years from now, when it will be the VA's problem to deal with, not ours."

[technomage1]

Again, no one has any practical answers to what to do with all that garbage. It's all well and good to complain about the burn pit - and I don't think it's ideal by any means - but the mission must go on, and the garbage will continue to be generated.

[jsnchrry]

Hmmm. Isn't that what they used to say about agent orange.....and the anthrax shot??

yeah this is definitely something to worry about. I did 2 deployments over there to balad. i left the service in 2006, was the there a letter put out AF wide for those deploying to balad?

[Shrike]

My last time at Eskan, nearly every single non-smoker developed a hacking cough. The smokers (I was a smoker back then) didn't; my theory is it was because we'd already burned up the cilia in our lungs through our stupid habit.

This mass hacking cough didn't seem to concern the med folks, or the bio folks upon post-deployment return. I always find that odd; if I'm at, say, Scott AFB, and go to the hospital to complain about a chronic cough that I've had constantly for 4-6 months, then some action is going to be taken. Yet, have that happen in a deployed/remote environment, and it's blown off as the Eskan/Balad/Osan "crud". There is something very wrong with that.


Edit: I forgot - Like technomage said, though, I don't know what the solution is. Bury it and siphon off the methane to use as a power source, maybe? Truck it to the border of Iran and build a wall?

[warr1or]

I only passed through Balad a few times, but the FOB I was stationed at had a burn pit, and towards the end of my tour I got a horrible upper respritory infection. Throw in being exposed to shower water with e. coli and having half my team come down with wierd illnesses, including one who nearly died from spinal meningitis, and you've got yourself an awesome deployment!

Of course when we got home the Air Force doctors and nurses that did the inprocessing told us not to report illnesses. Seriously. They said that if we reported any type of sickness that we would be pulled from our regular jobs and bascially put through the ringer including seeing a shrink which is a career ender.

I hate the fucking Air Force.

[Shrike]

I only passed through Balad a few times, but the FOB I was stationed at had a burn pit, and towards the end of my tour I got a horrible upper respritory infection. Throw in being exposed to shower water with e. coli and having half my team come down with wierd illnesses, including one who nearly died from spinal meningitis, and you've got yourself an awesome deployment!

Of course when we got home the Air Force doctors and nurses that did the inprocessing told us not to report illnesses. Seriously. They said that if we reported any type of sickness that we would be pulled from our regular jobs and bascially put through the ringer including seeing a shrink which is a career ender.

I hate the fucking Air Force.

I'd have stood up and asked that doctor for his/her full name, because as soon as he got done with his briefing telling me to make false statements that I would be heading straight to the IG's office.

[jsnchrry]

I only passed through Balad a few times, but the FOB I was stationed at had a burn pit, and towards the end of my tour I got a horrible upper respritory infection. Throw in being exposed to shower water with e. coli and having half my team come down with wierd illnesses, including one who nearly died from spinal meningitis, and you've got yourself an awesome deployment!

Of course when we got home the Air Force doctors and nurses that did the inprocessing told us not to report illnesses. Seriously. They said that if we reported any type of sickness that we would be pulled from our regular jobs and bascially put through the ringer including seeing a shrink which is a career ender.

I hate the fucking Air Force.

yeah that sounds fishy. you definitely need to talk to someone up the chain. you stated you would get pulled from your job. whats your job?

[JTAC_Sean]

In 2006 and 2007, when I passed through there on my way to and from my FOB, I inhaled that shit constantly.

Really, it can't be healthy.

[schwag_guest]

Just a brief observation from the picture on the cover...

If they're burning garbage/uniforms/etc, you would think that PPE would not consist of a standard dust mask.

YUCK!

[G Force]

I don't know how long the burn pits have been around, but has anyone thought about Gulf War Syndrome and the possible connection? Might be something there.

[MajesticThunder]

http://capwiz.com/military/dbq/officials/

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa020199.htm

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/congress/conemail.txt

Military members and veterans are getting better at expressing themselves to elected civilian legislators and raising valid issues. :D

Uniformed services are ultimately accountable to national government and every so often need a reality check. :eek:

Letters to elected officials have a large impact on their decision. They represent you, so you need to tell them just what you think about issues that concern your health, safety, security, military duty performance, or VA entitlements and support.

Fact of life; sometimes most direct approach to rapidly secure a proper level of attention and action to correct a rife problem is to work it from the top down. :mad:

Your health and safety concerns expressed via valid communications addressed to elected representatives can be very effective. Your Senator / Congressman/woman wants to hear from you.

Legislators are supposed to be working for you. As a result, one simple letter can have a very large impact. ;)

Here are some suggestions on how to make your letter most effective.


1. Address it properly

For Congress:
U. S. Representative ________________
U. S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Senator ________________
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

2. Be brief -- Five one page letters will have more impact than one five page letter.

3. Write clearly -- Legislators do not have the time to decipher illegible handwriting.

4. Identify yourself -- Be sure to mention state, congressional or legislative district in which you are a voter. Clearly mention that you are a member of US Armed Forces or a veteran. Be proud and loud to exercise your rights as a serving citizen. You fought for these very rights.

5. Be specific -- When writing about legislation, use the bill number (H.B. 10, S.B. 100) or the title (Military Retirement Reform bill; the White tax reform measure) if you know them. If not, briefly describe the issue that concerns you.

Joint Base Balad burn pit, toxic pollution levels, and related health issues are exactly type of specific issue legislators need to know about and fight to resolve!

Do you think DOD or Air Force is going to seek out an audience for this fetid encumbrance?

For years to come any troops passing through Joint Base Balad and other areas in this AOR will be exposed to contaminated dust, sediments, residues, tainted surfaces, etc.

Has everyone got a medical letter formally in their records?

Was this the best we could do for our 21st century military members?

Who was tracking and planning or not from reams of Viet Nam era lessons learned? Or not learned.

DOD and VA transition still a problem, hand off and history tracking is a separate underlying issue, but linked to Balad scenario.

6. Be timely -- Write now! Write when issue is current; not long after the fact or a key vote has been taken.

7. Write on one issue only -- Keep it to the point.

8. Explain your position -- It does not take an expert to predict the impact of an energized legislator on the case or focused legislation. As a military member, veteran, AND a taxpayer, say in your own words how the problem, issue, situation, bill or amendment does or will affect you. Don't forget that situations or a bill can change as it moves through the legislative process, so urge your legislator to deal with your concerns, oppose crippling amendments or support strengthening ones.

9. Be truthful -- Take time to find the correct facts and figures. Simple facts will achieve greatest success.

10. Make it friendly -- Being a legislator is sometimes a lonely and thankless job. Your legislator needs your support and suggestions. When your legislator has done something of which you approve, write a letter of appreciation.

11. Use personal experience -- A brief statement of personal experience is always very effective.

12. Support added costs -- Tell the legislator that you would accept additional taxation that would support expanded military or veteran programs. Demand value for your tax money.

13. If you don't like what your legislator is doing or not doing, or proposing, offer a positive and specific alternative -- Propose alternatives or amendments.

Educate them on military or veteran impact or benefits gained. Many elected officials have not served and only have outsider briefings about military service and related hardships. Military service is unique and NOT as routine or ordinary as with other citizens. Take a stand and be counted!

14. Other suggestions for writing letters -- Never use threats, profanity or insults; never write a form letter or postcard; never misspell your legislator's name.

15. Finally, Ask for a Response -- Urge your legislator to take action, support or oppose a bill; co-sponsor an amendment, or whatever action you would like taken.

This information will be helpful to any lobbying efforts of your local or national military or veteran organization. Keep copies of everything.

Request (don't demand) a reply to your letter.

[technomage1]

Edit: I forgot - Like technomage said, though, I don't know what the solution is. Bury it and siphon off the methane to use as a power source, maybe? Truck it to the border of Iran and build a wall?

Funny! :D

[Galloglas]

I worked right off of North Ramp by the air field. We spent 12 hours a day, downwind IN THE PLUME!

Now I have asthma like symptoms and breathing difficulty. Running, which was my favorite past time before deployment, is now too difficult. I am on profile.

If you read the hard copy of the Air Force Times, there is a section in there listing all the detected chemicals and their side effects.

Now, I'm sure the air over all is ok. Much less than a metropolitan city.... but not if you're in the plume. We puked. We coughed up black stuff. We hacked up blood.

And now, having once had a run time of 10:27 1.5 mile at nearly 30 years old, I can hardly muster 13:59. And that is IF I don't get sent to the emergency room for wheezing and difficulty breathing.

They burned METAL in that junk. And I breathed it for 12 hours a day every day. My lungs are horrible.

And of course they are trying to diagnose me with asthma... which would med board me and be pre-existing condition. That means no disability. Forever I'll deal with diminished lung efficiency and quite possible something worse like leukemia or lung cancer later on.

Thanks Air Force. I appreciate it. I served you diligently and without complaint. And this is how I am repayed. Way to be that guy!

[Galloglas]

BTW.

here is the list of chemicals and their side effects that were detected in the smoke.

Acetaldehyde: Irritant and probable carcinogen



Acrolien: Severe pulmonary irritant



Arsenic: Carcinogen and potent poison; low levels can cause nausea and vomiting, decreased blood cell production, abnormal heart rhythm, numbing in hands and feet.



Benzene: In combination with other chemicals, can cause decreased lung function, coughing, nausea, chest pain and pulmonary congestion.



Carbon Monoxide: Headaches Dizziness, Death.



Dichloroflouromethane: Coughing, headache, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, confusion; repeat exposure may cause irregular heartbeat.



Ethylbenzene: Drowsiness, fatigue, headache, respiratory infection; damage to kidney, liver and central nervous system.



Formaldehyde: Watery eyes, burning skin and lungs, wheezing and coughing, skin rash, may cause cancer.



Hydrocarbons: Harmful effects to skin, body fluids and ability to fight disease from burning wood and paper.



Hydrogen Cyanide: Rash itching and nose irritation; long-term exposure can lead to thyroid problems, including goiters.



Hydrogen Fluoride: Severe respiratory damage, ocular irritation and burns, cardiac or respiratory failure.



Phosgene: Severe respiratory effects, emphysema, ocular irritation, skin burns.



Sulfur Dioxide: Respiratory symptoms and disease, trouble breathing and premature death.



Sulfuric Acid: Eye, skin and lung irritant; may cause pulmonary edema, bronchitis, emphysema, conjunctivitis, stomatitis, trachea-bronchitis and skin problems.



Toluene: Decreased lung function, asthma like symptoms of wheezing and bronchial constriction.



Trichloroethane: Liver nervous system and circulatory damage



Xylene: Disturbances of cognitive abilities, balance and coordination; damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys.

[schwag_guest]

BTW.

here is the list of chemicals and their side effects that were detected in the smoke.

Acetaldehyde: Irritant and probable carcinogen



Acrolien: Severe pulmonary irritant



Arsenic: Carcinogen and potent poison; low levels can cause nausea and vomiting, decreased blood cell production, abnormal heart rhythm, numbing in hands and feet.



Benzene: In combination with other chemicals, can cause decreased lung function, coughing, nausea, chest pain and pulmonary congestion.



Carbon Monoxide: Headaches Dizziness, Death.



Dichloroflouromethane: Coughing, headache, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, confusion; repeat exposure may cause irregular heartbeat.



Ethylbenzene: Drowsiness, fatigue, headache, respiratory infection; damage to kidney, liver and central nervous system.



Formaldehyde: Watery eyes, burning skin and lungs, wheezing and coughing, skin rash, may cause cancer.



Hydrocarbons: Harmful effects to skin, body fluids and ability to fight disease from burning wood and paper.



Hydrogen Cyanide: Rash itching and nose irritation; long-term exposure can lead to thyroid problems, including goiters.



Hydrogen Fluoride: Severe respiratory damage, ocular irritation and burns, cardiac or respiratory failure.



Phosgene: Severe respiratory effects, emphysema, ocular irritation, skin burns.



Sulfur Dioxide: Respiratory symptoms and disease, trouble breathing and premature death.



Sulfuric Acid: Eye, skin and lung irritant; may cause pulmonary edema, bronchitis, emphysema, conjunctivitis, stomatitis, trachea-bronchitis and skin problems.



Toluene: Decreased lung function, asthma like symptoms of wheezing and bronchial constriction.



Trichloroethane: Liver nervous system and circulatory damage



Xylene: Disturbances of cognitive abilities, balance and coordination; damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys.

So basically, like being inside a burning house...and firefighters get respirators...maybe, just maybe, this should be one of those wakeup calls that we need the leadership to see!

[CMSBROWN]

At Kirkuk...you smell three things

Dust
Burning trash
or the sewage.

[MACHINE666]

Korea is the same way too...every time I've been stationed at Kunsan the Koreans burn their fields for the fall harvest...who knows what else they burn there too. It's not exactly the cleanest of countries to live in...

[CommunityEditor]

Editorial: Pentagon must recognize burn-pit health hazards (http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_editorial_burnpit_110308/)



More than five years into the war in Iraq and seven years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military continues daily disposal of hundreds of tons of war-zone waste in the most crude and hazardous manner — in open-air burn pits.

Troops with little more protection than cheap dust masks have fed the flames with plastic, rubber and petroleum products; unexploded ordnance; paints and solvents; and even medical waste, such as bloody bandages and amputated limbs.

The list of toxins that can be produced in burn-pit smoke plumes is alarming — arsenic, benzene, carbon monoxide, sulfuric acid and dioxin, the cancer-causing main ingredient in the defoliant Agent Orange, among others.

One Air Force officer overseeing bio-environmental concerns at Joint Base Balad, the largest U.S. installation in Iraq and home to more than 30,000 American personnel, said the burn pit there posed an “acute health hazard.”

The around-the-clock burn pits are perhaps suitable to a military on the march, a temporary solution when no other short-term options exist. By now, however, clean-burning incinerators and other, safer methods should be in widespread use at combat-zone installations.

Yet a lack of priority and funding has kept efforts to build incinerators at U.S. bases in the war zones at a crawl, with fewer than 20 operating in Iraq today.

Three have been built at Balad, but that’s not enough; almost 150 tons of waste still gets dumped into the base’s burn pit every day.

Many troops assigned to Balad have blogged about the effects of exposure to the ever-present plume of smoke: stinging eyes, monster headaches, severe respiratory infections and “plume crud” — prolonged hacking that produces blackened phlegm and sometimes blood.

Seasoned field-grade military medical professionals as well as civilian advisers to the Defense Health Board have raised concerns over unrestricted operation of burn pits, saying the smoke represents “acute and chronic” health hazards.

A technician with the Army’s Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine flatly labeled the Balad burn pit the “worst environmental site I have personally visited.”

But as has so often been the case across the decades on deployment health issues — anthrax vaccine, Gulf War illness, Agent Orange, secret biological training exercises, atomic bomb tests — the official line from the top is to deny that there’s a problem.

The Pentagon’s stance, reiterated as recently as August, is that while burn pit smoke may cause temporary coughing and eye iritation, “extensive environmental monitoring indicates that smoke exposures not interfering with breathing or requiring medical treatment at the time of exposure usually do not cause any lasting health effects or medical follow-up.”

But what about those who do have problems at the time of exposure? How are they assessed and treated? Are health records being annotated in case problems arise down the road? Is there a plan for follow-up care?

And why has incinerator construction been allowed to languish so badly for so long?

When Congress returns to work next year, it must press defense officials and new U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus on these questions.

Let’s hope it’s not too late to keep open-air burn pits from becoming the next chapter in the Pentagon’s sordid history of medical scandals.

[Shrike]

Editorial: Pentagon must recognize burn-pit health hazards (http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_editorial_burnpit_110308/)



[I]
The Pentagon’s stance, reiterated as recently as August, is that while burn pit smoke may cause temporary coughing and eye iritation, “extensive environmental monitoring indicates that smoke exposures not interfering with breathing or requiring medical treatment at the time of exposure usually do not cause any lasting health effects or medical follow-up.”
In other words, "Trust us completely! We wouldn't lie!"



But what about those who do have problems at the time of exposure?
How are they assessed and treated? Are health records being annotated in case problems arise down the road? Is there a plan for follow-up care?


The plan is that the DOD doesn't worry about it; by the time any long-term problems arise, it'll be the VA's problem.

[Unregistered]

I CANNOT believe that the Air Force, let alone the Dept of Defense is letting Americans burn toxic waste and body parts every day in foreign countries? It is outrageous that this has been happening for YEARS now and no one has done anything to stop it. The EPA has fined our base for using paint cans because it is hazardous! Why are we destroying the environment and OUR AIRMENS HEALTH and getting away with it? I can't wait to retire in 2 years so I can be rid of the IDIOTS in the higher echelon of our "great nations military"

[Unregistered- SSG Casper]

After a Year at Talil in 2004and a second year at Balad 2007, among other FOB's I traveled to doing convoy security I've breathed enough US/coalition trash smoke and Iraqi smoke to really shorten my lifespan. I've spent the last year in and out of a Lung Doc's office and now have adult onset Asthma, has "ground glass" nodules in my lungs, and can hardly do anything with out weezing and gasping for breath.

My first tour left me with a cronic cough, the second with Asthma that I never had before. I had liver problems in theater, gastric ulcers shortly after returning home, and continue to find new things wrong with my health every day it seems since I returned home. No long term effects my ARSE! Just another typical DOD pass the buck and hide the danger sham.

I thank god wasn't posted in the tower the artical mentions as the "abandoned" Gaurd tower, but my battalion did man it, with one of the platoons from my company pulling duty in it for 6 hours every day for a month, they started to wear their NBC Masks just so they could breath, and this was in 2007! I am wondering when they will be showing up at the VA, if they haven't aready, with their own health problems.

[CommunityEditor]

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has written to Gen. David Petraeus, the new chief of U.S. Central Command, demanding to be informed about any pending investigations into health problems for troops exposed to burn pit smoke in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“After years of helping veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf wars cope with the health effects of toxic battlefields, we have learned that we must take exposures to toxins seriously to ensure that this generation of service members does not face the same difficulties,” Feingold wrote in a letter dated Oct. 31.

“While I appreciate the nearly overwhelming set of challenges we face in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is no excuse for exposing service members and local civilians to preventable hazards.”

Feingold said he read about the issue in a Military Times paper. Another Military Times story showed hazardous waste is a problem throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since the stories came out, more than 50 service members have written to Military Times expressing concern about the burn pits, some saying they’re fearful that a litany of ailments they have — asthma, allergies, headaches, even cancer — may be linked to the burn pit smoke that they inhaled for prolonged periods.

Defense Department officials said dioxin in the burn pit smoke is at levels that pose an “acceptable risk” for cancer and other issues, but added that they still need to study levels of potentially harmful ultra-fine particulate matter.

“Rather than focusing exclusively on exposure levels, we have learned from past experience that we must look at the affected population and examine the real-world impact of their potential exposure to toxins,” Feingold wrote. “We must also ensure that potential exposure is documented.”

Feingold asked for statistics on service members with respiratory problems, as well as whether any local citizens may have been exposed. So far, the Defense Department has checked exposure safety levels only for up to a one-year deployment, not for the several years local Iraqis would have been exposed to the pits, which have been burning since the beginning of the wars.

Feingold also wondered why only 17 incinerators, which reduce toxic emissions, are in full operation in Iraq, even though 41 have been approved for use.

“I would appreciate knowing how many incinerators have been requested by commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, how many have been approved, and when all of the incinerators approved or planned for use will be included,” Feingold wrote.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_burnpits_feingold_110708w/

[newvalor]

it's about time somebody said something.

[DOGDACH]

After my 8th deployment in 6 years I've come to the conclusion that my health is on the decline. I've seen dust storms that are less dense than the smoke in Balad and Bagram every day, where I have been stationed. My nose runs almost every day now. I'm a minute off my run time and I run alot, I like to run. As a flyer I tell this to my Doc, I might be taken off status and I know my patients need me to keep flying. The Flight Surgeon shrugs and says "It'll clear up, maybe you are getting allergies." I say maybe my Gov't is hiding the next wave of expensive treatments.

[Shrike]

Here's a whole Topic Area dedicated to the burn pit at Balad (http://www.militarytimes.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=209)

I would definitely make sure there's something in your medical records about your problems.

[CommunityEditor]

Disabled American Veterans has issued a call to all service members and veterans who think they may have illnesses related to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq: Contact DAV so they can collect data and look for trends.

“Anyone out there who thinks they may have had a long-term health effect ... needs to file a complaint” with the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Kerry Baker, DAV’s associate national legislative director.

Noting that it took Vietnam veterans 20 years to gain benefits for exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange, Baker said, “We don’t want to see these guys have to wait 20 years. We want to see Congress act right away.”

He said service members should be alert for respiratory-related problems, such as allergies, sleep apnea, trouble breathing, asthma and lymphocytic leukemia, as well as skin diseases. Of the 300 to 400 disability cases Baker said he has personally reviewed since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, he said 30 percent potentially could be linked to the burn pits. He said he’s amazed by the numbers of troops reporting sleep apnea.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., also has demanded an investigation in an Oct. 31 letter to Army Gen. David Petraeus, the new chief of U.S. Central Command.

“After years of helping veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars cope with the health effects of toxic battlefields, we have learned that we must take exposures to toxins seriously,” Feingold wrote.

He asked Petraeus to inform him of pending investigations into the “prevalence of health care conditions among those potentially exposed to toxins and particulates,” as well as why more incinerators are not taking the place of burn pits in Iraq.

Pentagon officials say no long-term illnesses are associated with the burn pits. But Military Times has received more than 50 letters from troops responding to a Nov. 3 story, expressing concern about the time they spent near the billowing black clouds emitted by open pits where the military has burned its waste — everything from plastic bottles, which emit dioxins when burned at low temperatures, to petroleum products that emit benzene.

One Air Force bioenvironmental engineer, Lt. Col. Darrin Curtis, was so worried by the chemicals he thought were being released into service members’ living and work spaces at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, that he warned: “In my professional opinion, the known carcinogens and respiratory sensitizers released into the atmosphere by the burn pit present both an acute and chronic health hazard to our troops and the local population.”

Troops say they coughed their way through their deployments; several said respiratory problems and headaches continued long after their deployments ended.

Air Force officials say they had cleaned up the Balad burn pit as of June by using two incinerators and recycling plastic bottles. A report shows that tests in 2007 reflected an “acceptable risk” for cancer-causing and other poisonous toxins from the pit.

“It’s a fantastic before-and-after story,” said Army Capt. Lynn Thompson, waste management officer for Balad from March to October. “The contractor who runs the place is planning to build a tennis court about 100 meters west of the trenches.”

The burn pits are now “trench burners,” which burn hotter and produce less smoke. Still, he said, “Trench burners are no substitute for zero-emission incinerators. They are not intended to be a permanent solution. It is the best we can do with the funding available.”

Thompson said that he personally inspects the trenches every day, that the 147 tons of waste now burned are lumber and contractor-produced garbage, and that the pit no longer takes in paints, plastics, solvents, rubber or unexploded ordnance. Petroleum products are stored as hazardous material, rather than burned as they were in the past. The 90,000 plastic water bottles that used to go into the pit daily now are recycled.

The blackness of the pit’s plume is from dining facility vegetable oil and will be eliminated within two months, Thompson said.

While that’s good news for troops on future deployments, the burn pits in Balad and across Iraq and Afghanistan have burned since the beginning of the wars — initially managed by troops working directly inside the pits to keep them burning.

Service members told Military Times that they have asthma that was diagnosed after they left Balad; that they have allergy-like symptoms for the first time in their lives; that an unusual number of people in their units have developed cancer; that they are failing the runs on their physical fitness tests because of breathing problems; and that their headaches still haven’t gone away months after returning home. One Army officer reported a brain tumor.

“The fact that DoD says it’s safe just makes no sense at all,” Baker said. “Dioxin was used in herbicides in Vietnam. Now it’s a byproduct of the burn pits. But you don’t just have dioxin — you have a list of other chemicals. We need to look at the combined effect of all these chemicals.”

John Bradley, a legislative consultant for DAV, said the group can look to see whether there is a positive association between a deployment and disease, and that can lead VA to presume those diseases were caused by this war.

The proof shouldn’t rest on the veteran, he said.

Army Staff Sgt. Danielle Nienajadlo said her time in Balad led to a nightmare that will haunt her for the rest of her life. As a vehicle mechanic, she spent much of her time at the motor pool near the burn pit. Her living quarters, she said, were within a couple of miles of the pit, and when they ran for physical fitness training, they inhaled the fumes as they passed the plume.

She said the smoke constantly hung over her living quarters. “We were always covered in ash and dirt,” she said. “People got bloody noses and headaches.”

Before she arrived, she had a full physical, including a blood workup, because she wanted to become a helicopter pilot. But upon arrival at Balad, she started coughing and blowing out black stuff.

Soon, she lost her appetite. She felt nauseated, was constantly tired and had trouble breathing. She went to sick call several times, only to be told she might be stressed out.

One night, she stayed up all night with hot sweats and a fever; she went to the emergency room and begged doctors to draw her blood. They did. Her white blood cell count was over the top: She had leukemia.

She believes the burn pit served as a catalyst for her cancer. “I know I got it out there,” she said.

The cancer took over her lungs, and she couldn’t breathe. After a full course of chemotherapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., where she remains, she said she’s doing better, though she will be checked every three weeks for the next five years to make sure it doesn’t come back.

“I’m in remission,” she said. “I know I’m blessed. If I’d waited another day, I would’ve died.”


Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_burnpit_complaints_111308w/

[ChiefAD]

I hated those times of burning human excrement.

[Bleedblue]

They(Air Force) did the same thing up range at Tonopah(area 51) when a bunch of people got cancer, they know all about the health risks, your just not important enough for anyone to care, thats all.

[Cornbreadrules]

They(Air Force) did the same thing up range at Tonopah(area 51) when a bunch of people got cancer, they know all about the health risks, your just not important enough for anyone to care, thats all.


Really the USAF is concerned about your safety! Thats why we have all these Safety people!

[Bleedblue]

Really the USAF is concerned about your safety! Thats why we have all these Safety people!
you can use the burn pits as long as you have a T.O and your safety belt.

[Cornbreadrules]

you can use the burn pits as long as you have a T.O and your safety belt.

What about your reflective belt? Do u need that to? :cool:

[Bleedblue]

What about your reflective belt? Do u need that to? :cool:
and double hearing protection......

[Kegler]

and double hearing protection......

Would everyone please leave this forum until you learn to tuck in your PT gear while working out!!!!:D

[Bleedblue]

Would everyone please leave this forum until you learn to tuck in your PT gear while working out!!!!:D
I love that......I feel like a Hooters girl !!!!

[CommunityEditor]

A soldier concerned about his tour at Forward Operating Base Hammer near Balad, Iraq, this year sent Military Times a report showing high levels of particulate matter and low levels of manganese, possibly due to materials destroyed in a burn pit.

“The high risk estimate is due to the average (particulate matter) level being at a concentration the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers ‘hazardous,’ and is likely to affect the health of all troops,” wrote Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, director of health risk assessment for the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. “Manganese was also detected above its one-year military exposure guidelines.”

It was sent to the command surgeon general’s office for U.S. Central Command.

Particulate matter can lead to coughing, difficulty breathing, decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to the EPA.

Long-term levels of high exposure to manganese can lead to problems in the central nervous system, such as slow visual reaction time, inability to keep the hands steady, and poor eye-hand coordination. It can also lead to feelings of weakness, tremors, a mask-like face and psychological effects. It can also lead to impotence and loss of libido, according to the EPA.

“I just returned from a 15-month deployment from Iraq with 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division to FOB Hammer, and some of us found a document saying that the level of a certain type of metal in the air was above military standards and to expect soldiers to become ill,” wrote the soldier, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions. “There were burn pits there, and our base was located less than two miles from an Iraqi brick factory.”

The soldier is one of about 100 service members who have contacted Military Times because they are worried about their exposure to the burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military officials say they’ve worked to get the situation under control by setting up incinerators at bases such as Joint Base Balad, also in Iraq, as of June 2008. FOB Hammer was built in March 2007.

The report, dated August 2007, comes from Kirkpatrick’s office, and, thus far, distribution has been “limited to U.S. Government Agencies only.”

It states that the risk for particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter and metals is high, and that the manganese levels are expected to not be “consistently above the (military exposure guidelines) for one year. Therefore, the (occupational and environmental health risk) estimate for manganese in the ambient air is considered low.”

“It was indicated that the winds are especially high at this location and that the dust in the air is so bad that it is said to be ‘overwhelming,’” the report states. “A conservative assumption is that personnel inhale the ambient air for 24 hours a day for 365 days. In addition, it is assumed that control measures and/or personal protective equipment are not used.”

The report states that, in generally healthy troops, there will be more medical visits and respiratory infections because of the particulate matter, and that heavy aerobic activity may increase those effects. The report called the hazard severity of the particulates “marginal.” However, one sample was six-and-a-half times higher than the recommended military standard, and the report states most people are equally exposed to the air at the base, and said the exposure to rates higher than those recommended would be considered “frequent.”

It called the possible effects of manganese “negligible,” stating that though the average concentration was higher than military standards, it was partially because one of two samples was “atypically high” making the average seem high. “The concentration range for which actual effects (such as dementia/neurological changes or liver disease) have been observed in workers after repeated chronic exposures is ... 100 times greater than the [military standard],” the report states. “Therefore, no health effects are anticipated and the hazard severity is considered negligible.”

Lead levels were also above recommended levels in one of the samples.

However, the report also states risk estimate and confidence in the samples is low because only two were taken.

The report recommends taking samples at least every six days for the rest of the deployment, and informing preventive medicine and medical personnel of potential health effects of the particulate matter and heavy metals. It also recommends limiting outdoor physical activities when there are visibly high levels of particulate matters.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_burnpit_chemicals_111908w/

[Unregistered]

I am currently working at FOB Hammer with a contracting company. Tests are not being conducted every 6 days and have not been. There is no preventive medicine team here on the FOB to do the air quality tests and no contracting company here is doing them. There is not incinerator here and all trash is burned in the same pit. I feel bad for the numerous soldiers who work out there all the time. Add in the brick factory and you have a huge health disaster in the making.

A concerned citizen

[CommunityEditor]

As scientists, environmentalists and military officials debate the potential health effects of chemicals released at burn pits throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, troops are increasingly voicing their concerns.

More than 100 service members have written letters to Military Times. Among them are four who say they developed tumors. Three have chronic sinus problems, three have leukemia, three have Hodgkin’s lymphoma, seven have chronic coughs, seven have chronic headaches, five have asthma, one has nosebleeds, five have chronic respiratory problems, one had a stroke, two have heart problems and one suffered a collapsed lung.

They all say their problems began while exposed to smoke from burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan — though, as of yet, the evidence remains anecdotal.

Still, “I’m alarmed at the similarities of all the people who have reported they’re sick,” said Kerry Baker, associate national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, who has reviewed about 50 cases so far.

“It’s breathing problems, asthma, chronic bronchitis or active cancer, chronic coughs, lymphoma — but mostly leukemia. There just seems to be a pattern developing.”

Baker said most of the people he talked to had no symptoms before deploying to Iraq.

“This has to be looked at in-depth,” he said.

The military says it has looked at environmental hazards in Iraq in an in-depth manner — but the report with data on air, ground and water tests is classified.

Lyn Kukral, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, said that is because the report contains details on base perimeters and building locations. When asked if it was possible to get a summary of the report’s environmental findings, she said the entire document is classified.

“They can’t keep a lock and key on this for very long,” Baker said. “They can’t keep it from Congress.”

He is asking service members and veterans who believe they are sick due to exposure to burn-pit smoke to contact DAV.

The controversy was touched off when Military Times recently reported on a memo written in late 2006 by Air Force Lt. Col. Darrin Curtis, former bioenvironmental flight commander at Joint Base Balad in Iraq, who wrote of the massive burn pit at the base:

“In my professional opinion, there is an acute health hazard for individuals. There is also the possibility for chronic health hazards associated with the smoke.”

Military officials have said they are working to clean up the mess by installing incinerators and sorting out the toxic items that have, in the past, been tossed in burn pits, including batteries, waste oil, plastic water bottles, plastic foam, unexploded ordnance and even amputated limbs.

Curtis said the many chemicals troops may have been exposed to include benzene, an aircraft fuel known to cause leukemia; arsenic; Freon; carbon monoxide; ethylbenzene; formaldehyde; hydrogen cyanide; nitrogen dioxide; sulfuric acid; and xylene.

The military has run air toxicity tests at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, a soldier concerned about his tour at Forward Operating Base Hammer near Balad, Iraq, this year sent Military Times a copy of an official military report showing high levels of particulate matter and low levels of manganese, possibly due to materials destroyed in a burn pit.

“The high risk estimate is due to the average [particulate matter] level being at a concentration the Environmental Protection Agency considers ‘haz¬ardous,’ and is likely to affect the health of all troops,” wrote Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, director of health risk assessment for the U.S. Army Cen¬ter for Health Promotion and Pre¬ventive Medicine. “Manganese was also detected above its one-year military exposure guidelines.”

Particulate matter can lead to coughing, breathing and lung problems, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to the EPA.

Long-term exposure to high levels of manganese can lead to problems in the central nervous system, such as slow visual reaction time, inability to keep the hands steady, and poor eye-hand coordination. It can lead to feelings of weakness, tremors, a masklike face and psychological effects. It can also lead to impotence and loss of libido, according to the EPA.

“I just returned from a 15-month deployment from … FOB Hammer, and some of us found a document saying that the level of a certain type of metal in the air was above military standards and to expect soldiers to become ill,” wrote the soldier, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions. “There were burn pits there, and our base was located less than two miles from an Iraqi brick factory.”

The report states that the particulate matter will spark more medical visits and respiratory infections in generally healthy troops, and heavy aerobic activity may increase the effects.

The report said the risk from particulates was “marginal.” However, one sample was 6½ times above the acceptable military standard.

The report also states the risk estimate is low, but confidence in the samples is also low because only two were taken.

A second report of samples taken at Joint Base Balad also found little reason for concern, according to the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine authors.

Both cancer and noncancer risks were “not routinely above deployment military exposure guidelines,” though, again, the authors noted that the confidence level in the report is low. They also did not address particulate matter in the report because that is being addressed in another report, according to the authors.

Cate Jenkins, senior chemist in the EPA’s Hazardous Waste Identification Division, has argued that ground zero in New York City should be declared a “superfund” pollution site because of asbestos, and fought for a criminal investigation of the chemical company Monsanto, saying it purposely manipulated studies of the effects of Agent Orange on humans.

Jenkins said the Army chemical reports seem to have been drawn up properly, though she stressed that she couldn’t speak to the testing methods themselves. But she said more needs to be done.

And a couple of paragraphs were simply wrong, she said.

The Balad report, for example, calls dioxin a “promoter,” not an “initiator,” meaning it supposedly does not start a new cancer growing but appears to promote cancer of various types that already exist, Jenkins said.

The report then states that dioxin is a “known human carcinogen,” according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the EPA.

Jenkins said dioxin is a known carcinogen to the majority of the scientific community, and called the report’s language a “misinterpretation of the health effects of dioxins.”


Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/11/airforce_burnpit_112508/

[BRUWIN]

When it comes right down to it what's safer? Garbage stockpiled and the threat of possible desease born from it? Or the possible illnesses caused by the smoke? It's a tough call on the part of leadership when there was no money or time for construction of suitable alternatives. I have no doubt that some personnel have, or will, suffer the consequences of breathing that stuff. Everytime I've deployed to Balad I've always been on the west side of the base and it wasn't that big of a problem. But there were days I could see that cloud just hovering over the east side and it never seemed to move.

[Cornbreadrules]

When it comes right down to it what's safer? Garbage stockpiled and the threat of possible desease born from it? Or the possible illnesses caused by the smoke? It's a tough call on the part of leadership when there was no money or time for construction of suitable alternatives. I have no doubt that some personnel have, or will, suffer the consequences of breathing that stuff. Everytime I've deployed to Balad I've always been on the west side of the base and it wasn't that big of a problem. But there were days I could see that cloud just hovering over the east side and it never seemed to move.

Bury it, dump it in the gulf like wee do trash in the states, ship it back home, put up a plant to get rid of it, recycle it, no time we have been there how many years now, make the iraqis get rid of it! many options, come on......

[Silver Fox]

All I can say is, that figures.

We were exposed on a daily basis at Camp Bucca, our compound was right by the burn pit and the smoke drifted out at tower height. We spent whole 12 hour shifts sitting in smog sometimes. I ensured it was documented on my medical records when I returned. Unsurprisingly, I've had all sorts of sinus/lung problems since with no history of any related ailments before and no history of smoking. I'm not pointing the finger at the burn pits yet, I could always just be unlucky, but I will definately bring it up to my PMC now and see what they think. It seems that every three months without fail I'm hacking my lungs up, then it goes away for a bit to come right back a few months later.

[VFFSSGT]

Suit claims Halliburton, KBR sickened base

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/12/military_kbr_lawsuit_121508w/


A Georgia man has filed a class-action lawsuit against KBR and Halliburton, saying the contractors exposed everyone at Joint Base Balad in Iraq to unsafe water, food and hazardous fumes from the burn pit there.

Looks like there will be one of those annoying commercials...."If you have been injured or know someone who as been killed call Attorney Big Bob..." - "If you served the United States and were stationed at Balad Air Base you might be entitled to a cash settlement, call Attorney Big Bob now!"

I never liked KBR anyways; personally, I hope a judge sticks it to them and which ever politician made that contract happen. I am surprised it took this long. What would one think is going to happen? They are not over there to serve this nation - they are over there to make money so obviously they are going to take shortcuts. This has been obvious and even caught more attention when a few got electrocuted over the last couple years.

Look at that, even going through as a class-action suit. If it goes through we can all jump on this bandwagon and get a piece of the pie - then we all could donate to a good cause like treating those is true need of medical care...

[Cornbreadrules]

See the thread about college education, those are the people who made the decision to have these!

[chevyman]

Come on, the military take responsibility for this get real. This will be a issue in the future, but don't look for any real payout. The politicians will cover thier backsides and the men and women who served in Iraq will get screwed. It happened in the past and it will happen again.

[BTDTNM]

The Army has said that there is nothing to worry about. Geez, isn't that enough?

[Cornbreadrules]

The Army has said that there is nothing to worry about. Geez, isn't that enough?

I see no worries! Its all good, its only smoke!

[BADD]

I was at Tallil AB in 2003 and we had a burn pit there as well. Many nights the wind would shift and the humidity would ichange leaving a smoke haze in the tent city area of the base. I have been an interior(go into burning buildings) certified firefighter for 10 years now, when we enter a burning structure we wear protective breathing equipment. As any firefirefighter will tell you a burning house is loaded with man made materials that when burned release toxic gas. I seen a variety of items smoldering in that pit at Talil so we arent just burning paper and natural wood products in these pits. The picture in the AF Times of that black smoke cloud tells me that there is a large quantity of products releasing toxic gases into the atmosphere. I am not a scientist however, I can tell you that the DOD denying ill effects on the troops is criminal. Modern materials burning=hazardous gas.

[CommunityEditor]

Seven members of Congress have added their names to a growing list of legislators concerned about service members who say burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan have made them sick.

“It has come to our attention that a growing number of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are becoming sick and dying from what appears to be overexposure to dangerous toxins produced by burn pits used to destroy waste,” reads a letter from Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., to Eric Shinseki, the new secretary of veterans affairs. “Further conversations with other veterans have revealed that the armed forces have not investigated this threat adequately.”

Bishop’s office sent the letter Monday. It was also signed by Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.; Bill Delahunt, D-Mass.; Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.; Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; Sander Levin, D-Mich.; and Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa.

Congress first heard about the issue, the letter states, after a series of stories came out in Military Times showing that service members were exposed to everything from burning petroleum products to plastics to batteries in burn pits used to dispose of waste at every base in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tests showed the fires released dioxins, benzene and volatile organic compounds, including substances known to cause cancer. So far, 150 people have contacted Disabled American Veterans to say they are sick, and they believe the burn pits caused their ailments.

Of those 150, about 30 have lymphoma and leukemia. Other reported conditions include asthma, bronchitis, sleep apnea, chronic coughs, allergy-like symptoms and heart problems.

“After years of helping veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf wars cope with the health effects of toxic battlefields, we have learned that we must take exposures to toxins seriously to ensure that this generation of service members does not face the same difficulties,” the letter states.

The lawmakers ask Shinseki to use the Gulf War Advisory Committee to “investigate the combined effect of sand, burn pits, dioxins, benzene and volatile organic compounds” on veterans. They also want VA to compile statistics for the toxin levels in the blood of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to those who have not.

And they ask that VA notify its doctors that “veterans have been exposed to chemicals from fires in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, Burke O’Neil LLC, a Washington, D.C., law firm that has filed a class-action lawsuit against defense contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root LLC for improperly disposing of waste and insufficiently sanitizing water supplies for U.S. troops in Iraq, has invited the 150 ill service members to join the suit, said Kerry Baker, DAV’s assistant legislative director.

So far, about 30 have done so, according to Elizabeth Burke, a lawyer with the firm, which plans to file its suit soon.

Burke O’Neil also filed a third class-action suit in Montgomery County, Md., dated Jan. 21, focusing on the way KBR disposed of waste in burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan after several people came forward with cancer that they believe came from exposure to the burn pits, Burke said.

The lawsuit states that KBR “illegally burned biohazard materials, hydraulic fluids, lithium batteries and other hazardous materials in the open-air burn pits, causing noxious and unsafe smoke to drift over the base. Defendants burned tires, trucks, munitions boxes, and items containing pesticide residue.”

The suit accuses KBR of negligence, battery, nuisance, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, product liability, willful and wanton conduct, negligent hiring, breach of duty to warn, and medical monitoring.

It asks for compensation for physical injuries, emotional distress, fear of future disease, and need for continued medical treatment and monitoring. It also asks that KBR be stripped of all revenue for the contracts the plaintiffs say the company violated.

Four plaintiffs have chronic respiratory illnesses, one has “weeping lesions” on his arms and feet, one has gastrointestinal illness, and one has reactive airways disease.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/02/military_burnpits_congress_020409w/

[EW1]

Anytime the military says 'it won't hurt you', run like the dickens in the other way. During the Vietnam war, the pentagon told troops on the ground that Agent Orange was harmless.

[HLOOMIS]

Some facts:
2003, Arrived at Al Asad, Air Base, Iraq
Contracted civilian dumpsters and dump trucks to empty them
Worry about possible bombs in the dump trucks
Soldiers worry about Iraqi civilian trash men going thru the trash and finding personal information
Civilian contract canceled
Burn pit opened on far side of Al Asad Air base
Soldiers were dumping live-rounds of ammo in the pit for fun
guard set up to make sure no live rounds thrown in pit

Just some facts

[HLOOMIS]

2001-0615, Health, DSDS Combat Vets are healthier than non-vets
The Institute Of Medicine (IOM) reviews 850 studies completed on Gulf War Syndrome from Desert Storm and finds veterans are healthier than civilians. The IOM was unable to find any evidence of sickness due to Desert Storm.

[HLOOMIS]

2006-0615, Health, Wounded Soldiers suffer PTSD at the same rate as Soldiers not wounded
One month after being injured 4 percent of Soldiers at Walter Reed had PTSD. At four months after being wounded in combat 12 percent had PTSD. In addition, at eight months 12 percent had PTSD. The rate of PTSD was the same for Soldiers never wounded.

[HLOOMIS]

2009-0521, Health, No such thing as GULF WAR ILLNESS
The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs say an Institute of Medicine study shows there is no Gulf War syndrome, and that there is nothing unique about the symptoms 1 in 4 Desert Storm veterans suffer. There is no unique set of symptoms,” said Craig Postlewaite, deputy director of force readiness and health assurance under the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
He based that view on the IOM study that concluded veterans’ symptoms vary too much to be seen as unique and recommended no more epidemiological studies. “We feel like their assessment is complete,” Postlewaite told the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs’ subcommittee on oversight and investigations.
It is time to put to rest the myth of Gulf War Syndrome (GWS), another meaningless collection of illnesses attributed to serving in the Gulf War. This editorial is based upon the excellent article on GWS found in the March 1997 issue of Reason magazine.
It is important to first consider the evidence to date and why the media in America has been so biased in its reporting of this "syndrome.” The broadcast and news media (notably USA Today, the New York Times and ABC's Nightline) constantly publish a barrage of pro-Gulf War Syndrome stories, peppered by individual accounts of soldiers who were there and now claim to have "it."
Naturally, like multiple chemical sensitivity disorder, there are over 100 symptoms of GWS, ranging from hair loss, graying hair, weight gain, weight loss, irritability, heartburn, rashes, sore throat, sore gums, constipation, insomnia and a foot fungus, among others. The people claim to have GWS are not doctors, not medical experts, and not scientists. Yet the media consistently push their side of the story, only mentioning the scientific studies, which have examined their claims as an afterthought.
A popularly quoted soldier, Pfc. Brian Martin, claims, for instance, that he "would vomit Chemlite-looking fluids every time I ran [in prescribed physical therapy]; an ambulance would pick me up, putting IVs in both arms, rushing me to Womack Community Hospital. This happened every morning after my return from the war" (transcript from a Congressional panel headed by Rep. Chris Shays, on September 19, 1996).
Chemlite refers to a glowing tube, so Martin is claiming his vomit glowed. Would any respectable medical doctor continue to prescribe physical therapy for a patient who was vomiting every morning in fluorescent colors? Sounds unlikely. Yet this is the most widely quoted soldier in stories on GWS. Hasn't any reporter thought to question the reliability of some of this information?
Taking away the handful of case-study testimonies given before Congress, we're left with a half-dozen or so controlled, scientific studies to examine. The New England Journal of Medicine reported in its November 1996 issue that cancer rates among Persian Gulf veterans is slightly below that of comparable vets who didn't deploy to the Gulf. In the same issue, it was reported that hospitalization rates for Gulf War vets are the same as non-Gulf War vets.
The final report from the Institute of Medicine, released in October 1996, concluded that there was no "scientific evidence to date demonstrating adverse health consequences linked with [Gulf War] service.” The Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illness draft of the final report, leaked in November 1996, found "no support for the myriad theories proposed as causes of illnesses among Persian Gulf War veterans, or even evidence there is a 'Gulf War Syndrome.'"
These studies are only the most recent which have been published which show no discernable link between serving in the Persian Gulf War and any higher incidence of disease or illness.
What about the recent accounts of nearly 15,000 troops possibly being exposed to sarin nerve gas after a repository was destroyed in the war? No soldier in the 37th Engineer Battalion (which was responsible for blowing up those bunkers) reported any acute symptoms of nerve gas poisoning at the time. Could slight exposure (since nobody complained of any problems after the explosion) to a known and well-understood nerve gas now be responsible for the widespread harm and mayhem related to GWS? Unlikely.
The Institute of Medicine concluded in an October 1996 report "there is no available evidence in human or animal studies to date that exposure to nerve agents at low levels that do not produce any detectable acute clinical or physiological manifestations results in any chronic or long-term adverse health effects.” Did we ever see this as a headline in a newspaper or the lead story on the evening news?
No, it is far more interesting (and therefore, newsworthy) to claim something is causing harm than to claim there is no basis for the harm. For instance, the news media are much more likely to report on so-called Internet Addiction Disorder (despite no scientific evidence that it exists) than on the self-help support groups which quietly save hundreds of lives each year online. This is an ongoing and troubling bias in the media. By focusing on the negative (look at all the attention given to the verdict in a civil trial of a private individual), regardless of whether people care or not, the media often tries to make the news rather than report on it.
So what's causing all the symptoms complained about by these veterans? What is this if it isn't Gulf War Syndrome? The alternative to GWS is often misunderstood and stigmatized, hence the reason it is rarely mentioned.
Individuals who suffer from these very real physical symptoms are looking to an external, rather than internal cause. As the Reason article noted, you "can get diarrhea because you're worried about tomorrow's final exam or because you ate a week-old taco.” The first cause is related to stress and internal thoughts; the latter is related to an organic mechanism. Dozens of research studies in psychology over the past few decades have illustrated the link between one's thoughts and one's physical state or well-being.
There are many theories, in fact, about how physical ailments may be caused simply by our thoughts and feelings about ourselves. This is not to say that we intentionally look to create these problems within ourselves, or that the problem is "all in our heads.” On the contrary, the problems and symptoms are just as real as the thoughts are and need treatment.
After the debate has been left behind, we are still left with the problem of vets having physical symptoms. Instead of focusing attention on what causes these problems, however, the solution lies in proper care and treatment of these problems. Treatment should likely include a psychological component, given what we know about the possible medical causes to date.
The important facet of all of this to realize is that there is a psychological component to this problem. It may be that some of these problems are psychosomatic in cause, or a social hysteria which some of the vets have come to firmly believe in and identify. In fact, a handful of vets have built their post-war lives around their disorders. Anything which becomes an integral and important part of one's life is not easily given up, no matter what is discovered about GWS in the future.
GWS likely does not exist, nor has it ever. Scientific research to date illustrates this more clearly than any testimonial given before Congress. This fact needs to be realized and the myth discarded before any long-term healing may begin.

[MajesticThunder]

http://capwiz.com/military/dbq/officials/

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa020199.htm

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/congress/conemail.txt

Military members and veterans are getting better at expressing themselves to elected civilian legislators and raising valid issues. :D

Uniformed services are ultimately accountable to national government and every so often need a reality check. :eek:

Letters to elected officials have a large impact on their decision. They represent you, so you need to tell them just what you think about issues that concern your health, safety, security, military duty performance, or VA entitlements and support.

Fact of life; sometimes most direct approach to rapidly secure a proper level of attention and action to correct a rife problem is to work it from the top down. :mad:

Your health and safety concerns expressed via valid communications addressed to elected representatives can be very effective. Your Senator / Congressman/woman wants to hear from you.

Legislators are supposed to be working for you. As a result, one simple letter can have a very large impact. ;)

Here are some suggestions on how to make your letter most effective.


1. Address it properly

For Congress:
U. S. Representative ________________
U. S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Senator ________________
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

2. Be brief -- Five one page letters will have more impact than one five page letter.

3. Write clearly -- Legislators do not have the time to decipher illegible handwriting.

4. Identify yourself -- Be sure to mention state, congressional or legislative district in which you are a voter. Clearly mention that you are a member of US Armed Forces or a veteran. Be proud and loud to exercise your rights as a serving citizen. You fought for these very rights.

5. Be specific -- When writing about legislation, use the bill number (H.B. 10, S.B. 100) or the title (Military Retirement Reform bill; the White tax reform measure) if you know them. If not, briefly describe the issue that concerns you.

Joint Base Balad burn pit, toxic pollution levels, and related health issues are exactly type of specific issue legislators need to know about and fight to resolve!

Do you think DOD or Air Force is going to seek out an audience for this fetid encumbrance?

For years to come any troops passing through Joint Base Balad and other areas in this AOR will be exposed to contaminated dust, sediments, residues, tainted surfaces, etc.

Has everyone got a medical letter formally in their records?

Was this the best we could do for our 21st century military members?

Who was tracking and planning or not from reams of Viet Nam era lessons learned? Or not learned.

DOD and VA transition still a problem, hand off and history tracking is a separate underlying issue, but linked to Balad scenario.

6. Be timely -- Write now! Write when issue is current; not long after the fact or a key vote has been taken.

7. Write on one issue only -- Keep it to the point.

8. Explain your position -- It does not take an expert to predict the impact of an energized legislator on the case or focused legislation. As a military member, veteran, AND a taxpayer, say in your own words how the problem, issue, situation, bill or amendment does or will affect you. Don't forget that situations or a bill can change as it moves through the legislative process, so urge your legislator to deal with your concerns, oppose crippling amendments or support strengthening ones.

9. Be truthful -- Take time to find the correct facts and figures. Simple facts will achieve greatest success.

10. Make it friendly -- Being a legislator is sometimes a lonely and thankless job. Your legislator needs your support and suggestions. When your legislator has done something of which you approve, write a letter of appreciation.

11. Use personal experience -- A brief statement of personal experience is always very effective.

12. Support added costs -- Tell the legislator that you would accept additional taxation that would support expanded military or veteran programs. Demand value for your tax money.

13. If you don't like what your legislator is doing or not doing, or proposing, offer a positive and specific alternative -- Propose alternatives or amendments.

Educate them on military or veteran impact or benefits gained. Many elected officials have not served and only have outsider briefings about military service and related hardships. Military service is unique and NOT as routine or ordinary as with other citizens. Take a stand and be counted!

14. Other suggestions for writing letters -- Never use threats, profanity or insults; never write a form letter or postcard; never misspell your legislator's name.

15. Finally, Ask for a Response -- Urge your legislator to take action, support or oppose a bill; co-sponsor an amendment, or whatever action you would like taken.

This information will be helpful to any lobbying efforts of your local or national military or veteran organization. Keep copies of everything.

Request (don't demand) a reply to your letter.

Keep mailing your elected political leaders!

All veterans past, present, or future; must assertively voice justifiable concerns.

[tailsupcom]

Hmmmmmm.....sign the "balad release form" stating that you r aware that you may die of lung tumors ....but its cool.......or stay in the AOR longer to be evaluated by medical specialists?????? talk about F'ing us in our M'ing F'ing A's.