Military Burn Pits: Post-9/11 Veterans’ agent orange
Military & Veterans Affairs Committee
Chairs: Sonya Colon - Law Office of Sonya C. Colon, P.A. and Robert Nader - Nader Mediation Services
W
hen the United
States commenced
Post-9/11 military
action in the
Middle East, the U.S. Department
of Defense (DoD) disposed of its
trash with a practice that had been
banned stateside for decades: burn
pits. The DoD and its contractors
set aflame all forms of detritus,
to include military equipment,
42
medical and
human waste,
and everyday
items, such as
plastics and
electronics —
often adding
jet fuel as an
accelerant.
These burn
pits produced
several toxins:
polycyclic
aromatic
hydrocarbons,
volatile organic
compounds,
furans and
dioxins, and
heavy metal
dust. These
mixed with the
local dust,
which itself
was extremely
fine, measuring
one-tenth
the size of
beach sand.
Together,
this mixture of
fine particulate
matter brought
about acute
and chronic
health
problems to
servicemembers
living and
working near
burn pits.
With Va stonewalling,
and no effective
legislation to end it,
Post-9/11 veterans’ fight
for Va benefits will likely
continue for decades.
MAR - APR 2020
Continued on
page 43
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HCBA LAWYER