Defense bill makes provision for veterans sickened by exposure to toxic burn pits

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Veterans who served downwind of burn pits at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan could get a little clarity from the VA next year.

The $700 billion military spending bill that just passed the U.S. Senate makes provisions for the veterans who spent their deployment inhaling the smoke from their base's burning garbage — tires, plastic, batteries, electronics and human waste, all doused with jet fuel and set alight. The legislation calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to study and respond to the health risks of the burn pits.

Some veterans returned home complaining of asthma, neurological issues, cancers and other serious health problems. Burn pits, activists worried, could be this generation's version of Agent Orange.

Veterans who served downwind of burn pits at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan could get a little clarity from the VA next year.

The $700 billion military spending bill that just passed the U.S. Senate makes provisions for the veterans who spent their deployment inhaling the smoke from their base's burning garbage — tires, plastic, batteries, electronics and human waste, all doused with jet fuel and set alight. The legislation calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to study and respond to the health risks of the burn pits.

Some veterans returned home complaining of asthma, neurological issues, cancers and other serious health problems. Burn pits, activists worried, could be this generation's version of Agent Orange.