What Are Burn Pits?
Simply, a burn pit is a designated area where waste materials, such as trash, medical waste, and other potentially hazardous substances, are burned in open-air fires. It is commonly associated with military operations, particularly in conflict zones or deployed military bases. Burn pits are used to dispose of various types of waste, including but not limited to, trash, medical waste, chemicals, munitions, and other items generated by military personnel and operations.
In the context of military burn pits, the waste materials are typically burned in open-air without advanced incineration technologies or pollution control measures. The purpose of burn pits is to quickly and efficiently dispose of waste in areas where other waste management infrastructure may be limited or unavailable.
However, burn pits have been a subject of concern due to potential health and environmental risks associated with the burning process. When waste is burned in open-air settings, it can release a wide range of pollutants, such as particulate matter, toxic chemicals, and hazardous gases. These emissions can pose health hazards to the military personnel and nearby civilian populations, as well as cause environmental contamination.
Exposure to burn pit emissions has been linked to various health issues, including respiratory problems, cardiovascular conditions, neurological disorders, and cancers. Consequently, the use of burn pits has been a topic of scrutiny, and efforts have been made to explore alternative waste management methods that are safer and more environmentally friendly.
What Is Particulate Matter?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) talks a lot about Particulate Matter; in fact, they dedicate a complete section of their website to the topic. EPA, and environmental regulators, were nowhere to be seen in the confines of those U.S. military bases overseas.
The EPA talks about Particulate Matter (PM) and states, "PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope."
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) talks a lot about Particulate Matter; in fact, they dedicate a complete section of their website to the topic. EPA, and environmental regulators, were nowhere to be seen in the confines of those U.S. military bases overseas.
Now imagine PM getting embedded inside your body. Then the devastation they cause begins.
My Own Personal Experience
From 1993 to 2006, I served in the U.S. Army. Enlisted to Officer. Active and Reserve Components. In the United States and overseas. My service eventually found me deployed to Balad, Iraq, in 2006. While in Balad, the PM entered my system. After testing, I found out it embedded deep into my system, finding its way into my lungs. The PM established a foothold in my body, making it a battlefield. A new war is raging, not overseas, but within my own body.
I recorded this audio after my last Veterans Affairs appointment on June 14, 2023.
Who Built Them?
Great question and one that needs an investigative look. Various companies were likely contracted to provide waste management services, including the construction and maintenance of burn pits. These contracts could involve different companies specializing in waste disposal, environmental services, or logistics support.
This Generation’s Agent Orange
This generation has toxic exposure; a generation before had Agent Orange. Both had two things in common, death and the U.S. military.
"Agent Orange was a powerful herbicide used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. The U.S. program, codenamed Operation Ranch Hand, sprayed more than 20 million gallons of various herbicides over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1961 to 1971. Agent Orange, which contained the deadly chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used herbicide. It was later proven to cause serious health issues—including cancer, birth defects, rashes and severe psychological and neurological problems—among the Vietnamese people as well as among returning U.S. servicemen and their families," according to History.com.
It took decades for the U.S. government to address Agent Orange and then years for the Veterans Affairs to even start addressing it. In those years, how many died?
The PACT Act
From the VA: The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history. The full name of the law is The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The PACT Act will bring these changes: Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras. Adds 20+ more presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic exposures. Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation. Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care. Helps us improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures. If you’re a Veteran or survivor, you can file claims now to apply for PACT Act-related benefits.
What’s Next And Are There Cures?
That is a good question. Hopefully thousands more don’t die before it can be answered.