Thousands of military
personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to a variety
of potentially harmful substances, including the smoke produced by the
burning of waste on military bases.
Now U.S.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is sponsoring legislation that would create a
national center to study the effects of burn pits on veterans and
members of the military.
The issue
will take on increased importance as more veterans of recent wars show
increased rates of cancer, asthma, emphysema, and even rare lung
disorders. Exposure to dust and burn pits also has been shown to cause
insomnia and high blood pressure.
Klobuchar,
a Minnesota Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have
introduced the Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act. It would
create a center within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the
prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of
health conditions relating to exposure to burn pits.
During the
Mideast wars, the military disposed of item such as plastics, aerosol
cans, electronic equipment, human waste, metal containers, tires, and
batteries by throwing them into open pits, sometimes dousing them with
jet fuel, and setting them ablaze. It was common for smoke from these
open-air burn pits to waft through the entire base and into living
areas.
The VA
already has established a burn-pit registry to get a handle on the scope
of the potential problem. The registry allows eligible veterans and
service members to document their exposures and report health concerns
through an online questionnaire.
Those
eligible must have served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi
Freedom/Operation New Dawn; in Djibouti, Africa, on or after Sept. 11,
2001; in Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm; or in southwest Asia
on or after Aug. 2, 1990.
As of three weeks ago, 65,320 veterans and service members had completed and submitted the registry questionnaire.
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