Factual Background: Veronica Landry Diagnosed with Lung
Disease After Deployment
Veronica Landry worked as a government contractor at two
forward operating bases in northern Iraq from March 2004 through February 2005.
While in Iraq, Ms. Landry lived and worked within a mile of the burn pit at
each base. Ms. Landry worked outdoors about a third of the time and testified
that she was exposed to smoke from the burn pits every day during her
deployment. As has become well known, the military used such burn pits to
dispose of a variety of items containing various toxins, such as tires, vehicle
parts, hazardous medical materials, plastic water bottles, and ammunition.
After returning to the U.S., Ms. Landry began to develop
respiratory problems. These problems included several respiratory “episodes”
and an overall decrease in lung function. Ms. Landry was eventually diagnosed
with mild lung disease after her doctor conducted testing and a lung biopsy.
Ms. Landry’s doctor offered a medical opinion that her mild lung disease was
related to her exposure to burn pits, dust, and working outdoors in northern
Iraq. However, the doctor did not believe that her lung disease contributed to
her respiratory episodes after returning home.
Judge Determines that Burn Pits Contributed to Ms. Landry’s
Lung Disease
After reviewing the facts, the ALJ determined that Ms.
Landry presented sufficient evidence to show that she her lung disease arose
from deployment-related conditions, specifically, exposure to burn pits. This
decision marked the first time a federal agency recognized that exposure to a
burn pit used at a US military base contributed to deployment-related lung
disease.
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