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About Us & Rules“They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
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“They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:32 pm
“The Burn Pits” reveals how a Dick Cheney-connected company got rich while U.S. soldiers got poisoned
The first 10 pages of “The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America’s Soldiers” will rip your heart out. In the opening chapter of this new book, Joseph Hickman, a former U.S. Marine and Army sergeant, shares the brief and tragic life story of one Iraq War veteran. In a nutshell, a healthy young man shipped off to Iraq, was stationed at a U.S. military base where he was exposed to a constant stream of toxic smoke, returned home with horrible respiratory problems, was denied care by the VA, developed brain cancer and died.
Thousands of soldiers have suffered similar fates since serving in the vicinity of the more than 250 military burn pits that operated at bases throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Many who haven’t succumbed to their illnesses yet have passed along the legacy of their poisoning to their children. “The rate of having a child with birth defects is three times higher for service members who served in those countries,” according to the book.
The impact on local civilian populations is even more widespread. Although collecting data in these war-ravaged areas is extremely difficult, the studies that have been conducted reveal sharp increases in cancer and leukemia rates and skyrocketing numbers of birth defects. The toxic legacies of these burn pits will likely continue to devastate these regions for decades.
So what are the “burn pits”? When the U.S. military set up a base in Iraq or Afghanistan, instead of building incinerators to dispose of the thousands of pounds of waste produced each day, they burned the garbage in big holes in the ground. The garbage they constantly burned included “every type of waste imaginable” including “tires, lithium batteries, asbestos insulation, pesticide containers, Styrofoam, metals, paints, plastic, medical waste and even human corpses.”
Here’s where the story gets even more infuriating. As a result of the privatization of many aspects of military operations, the burn pits were operated by Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR), a former subsidiary of Halliburton, the company where Dick Cheney was CEO before ascending to the White House. During the Bush administration, Halliburton made nearly $40 billion from lucrative government contracts (despite many corruption scandals), Dick Cheney and his corporate allies got incredibly rich, and the soldiers whose lives have likely been destroyed by this reckless operation… are pretty much screwed.
Top officials, including then-Gen. David Petraeus, initially denied that the burn pits were a health hazards, but mounting medical evidence contradicting the Defense Department’s position have brought this scandal into the spotlight. However, in a pattern that follows how Vietnam vets suffering from Agent Orange were treated, the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to deny medical coverage to most Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking treatment for burn pit-related illnesses. Joseph Hickman is hoping that his new book will help change that.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
This is one of the most devastating scandals to come out of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, so why hasn’t it gotten more attention?
I think the Department of Defense does its best to squash this story and so does Veterans Affairs. They really don’t want this out at all. When the registry [for victims of burn pit pollution] came out, they even squashed the registry. It took them a year and a half past their due date to get it up, to actually have it running.
If there were one thing that had the potential to bring it into the spotlight more, it was Beau Biden’s recent death from brain cancer. As you write in the book, we obviously can’t be certain, but it seems that there is a very clear link between his death and his service in Iraq working in the vicinity of these burn pits and breathing in these hazardous fumes. Why wasn’t this enough to bring attention to this issue?
I don’t know if it was political or not. When Beau died I was right in the middle of heavy research into the burn pits. I tried to contact his wife, Hallie, about two months after his death and I tried to contact the vice president; neither one would respond to me. It could have been my timing, too. I called at an awful time, really.
This just happened last June, and maybe they haven’t absorbed it all yet. There are similarities to where he was stationed and how people died and it just brought up a lot of red flags for me.
I think the case that you lay out in the book is pretty convincing. Although these wars started during the Bush years, Obama is now in his eighth year in office and still has not made this issue a priority. How much fault should we place on the Obama administration for the failure to address this problem?
I think he holds a lot of responsibility for it, but I think the biggest problem is Congress and the Senate. Because when a soldier gets sick the first thing he [or she] does is write his congressman or senator if he’s not getting results from the VA or DoD. They still follow the chain of command, so that’s their last complaint, and the senators and congressmen have just really dropped the ball on this completely. And I think that is totally politically motivated, because a lot of these senators and congressmen they’re reaching out to are in bed with defense contractors.
You specifically mention Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson as an example of a Tea Party politician who campaigned on a flag-waving platform of building a strong military and supporting the troops, but then when he got into office voted to cut VA funding and didn’t make good on his promises. We’re seeing even more of this chest-thumping patriotism now in the presidential primary campaigns. Have you heard any of the presidential candidates address the topic of burn pits or the VA in a meaningful way, other than to use the VA as an attack line against Obama?
No, none of them has mentioned the burn pits or soldiers suffering from the burn pits at all. Bernie Sanders has done a lot for veterans, probably more so than any other candidate, and he still hasn’t addressed this issue, either.
You mention in the book that there were a few members of the military and KBR contractors that voiced concerns about the health hazards posed by the burn pits. Why was it so difficult for them to get their voices heard?
One KBR employee was really harassed badly by KBR for coming forward. He felt he was threatened and he had a really hard time talking about it with me. He was really worried about repercussions. That’s really a reflection of the Obama administration. They haven’t defended whistle-blowers at all. They’ve attacked them. Obama’s presidency has been extremely disappointing in that area.
I was surprised to learn in the book that Chelsea Manning was actually responsible for leaking some of the information about how the military was aware of the burn pit health hazards earlier than they let on.
Several soldiers were absolutely shocked and surprised that Chelsea Manning released that document. It changed many of their minds about her. The military, for the most part, is a lot of Republicans or very conservative people. But when I shared this with several soldiers, it absolutely changed a lot of their views on Chelsea Manning. I said, “Look, she didn’t always give up things that were damaging to our country. These are really things that the administration doesn’t want you to see.” She showed that we got sick from the burn pits.
You describe in the book how independent researchers have found a huge increase in birth defects, leukemia, cancer and other carcinogenic diseases among Iraqi and Afghan civilians living near the burn pits, which you contrast with the controversial World Health Organization report that contradicted those findings. There has been speculation that the U.S. used political pressure to influence the WHO report, which was quickly contradicted by several reputable medical journals. Has there been any confirmation or strong evidence in support of this theory?
There’s a large group of epidemiologists that absolutely believe that that report was influenced by the U.S. government. Dr. Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, a widely respected environmental toxicologist, has been there and seen the birth defects and how we literally destroyed that country with pollution. There are birth defects there that don’t even have medical names yet.
One of the frustrating things you describe is that the Pentagon violated their own regulations but they still can’t be held legally responsible. As you say in the book, “under federal law the military can’t be held accountable, so nobody is to blame.” If no one can be held to account, what kind of positive outcomes can we hope for?
They started the burn pit registry, which is modeled off of the Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome registries, which are failures. So we modeled it off a failed program. It took 27 years for the Agent Orange Vietnam veterans to actually receive any type of care, and they still don’t get the care they should. These numbers we’re talking about with the burn pits and Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome … they’re so large that the government knows that if they treated all these soldiers the cost would be unbelievable. It’s something that they can’t afford, and I think that’s why it takes decades for them to treat them.
The best way to help the soldiers involved in this is to actually believe what they’re saying. They believed in the soldiers when they sent them off to war. They believed they would go over there and get the job done, but when they come home and they complain of illnesses, they suddenly question their integrity. And that just has to stop.
So there’s this dynamic where it’s in the VA’s interest to deny that soldiers really have these health problems in order to protect itself from being liable for covering those treatments. There are accounts in your book of hostile VA doctors telling patients that they’re healthy, but then independent doctors contradicting the VA’s diagnosis. Where does that culture come from?
It’s because it’s a delayed casualty. It isn’t a limb missing or a bullethole in a person or something where there’s actually proof that their injury is service-connected, meaning they got their injury from the time they were in combat. So when they come in with these respiratory issues or cancers, it’s very hard for the soldier to prove that, “Hey, I got this on the battlefield,” because it’s not an injury that they received from their enemy.
But the numbers show that there is a real pattern. You found the proof, so the denial is hard to grasp in the face of such mountains of evidence.
Yeah, it’s to the point now where they can’t deny it, but they still fight tooth and nail not to give these veterans benefits. It’s just a budget issue now, and the soldiers are suffering from it.
VA reform has been a big issue for some time now, so why haven’t we seen much progress or improvement?
The VA has always been under-budgeted. The budget is just not there for them. Up until two years ago they were using a computer system that was – they didn’t have Windows, they didn’t have iOS, they were using stuff from 1985, 1986. This was just two years ago. That’s a fact. They needed a complete upgrade. It’s always been under budget, since I’ve been going there.
There’s a lawsuit against KBR out there right now, and the biggest hurdle for the KBR lawsuit is [that] DoD will not speak against KBR for their misuse of the burn pits. And you can’t sue the government under the Feres Doctrine. A soldier can’t sue the government for his injuries, but he can sue a private contractor. But as long as the U.S. government stays solid on the issue and won’t speak out against KBR, it kind of creates a legal limbo where it’s their word against this massive corporation. The best testimony they could have is DoD saying, “Yes, you mistreated these burn pits.”
But really, can the DoD even do that? Because they didn’t have any regulation in place for seven years on what they could burn or where they should be located or anything else. The DoD staying solidly aligned with KBR while soldiers are suffering is criminal.
Did the military’s use of private contractors like KBR in some ways help to facilitate this crisis?
KBR operated many of the burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are some regulations for contractors, but they’re not nearly as stringent, and the penalties are not nearly as harsh for contractors as they are for soldiers. So these contractors were super-careless with these burn pits. There were burning anything and everything in them, and they didn’t care and they didn’t think they could be held accountable.
They’ve grown to the point where they feel that the government can’t operate without them. These companies have that arrogance. Contractors that were operating the burn pits in Iraq were actually told by their headquarters, “If they’re going to investigate us over these burn pits, don’t worry about it. If we pull out, they can’t run this base.”
Have you ever heard Dick Cheney comment on this issue? His connections to Halliburton and KBR put him in a uniquely qualified position.
Never once. Never once. I looked for anything like that and couldn’t find anything.
End note: A portion of the proceeds from sales of “The Burn Pits” will be donated to the nonprofit organization www.burnpitspits360.org
http://www.salon.com/2016/02/16/burn_pits/
Got to order that!
Last edited by sassy on Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:51 am; edited 1 time in total
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by nicko Fri Feb 19, 2016 6:11 am
Do you think that it might also have something to do with the oil wells that Sadam set alight, sending clouds of toxic gas over wide areas? burning oil produces loads of dangerous particulates over a large area.
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Feb 19, 2016 6:16 am
Exactly, its a load of jackanory Nicko
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:26 am
nicko wrote:Do you think that it might also have something to do with the oil wells that Sadam set alight, sending clouds of toxic gas over wide areas? burning oil produces loads of dangerous particulates over a large area.
Don't suppose that helped, but this seems to be evidence from people that were there about something not discussed or reported on, so I'd like to find out about it, especially as the burn pits seem to be in particular places and have effected those that lived around them.
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:35 am
sassy wrote:nicko wrote:Do you think that it might also have something to do with the oil wells that Sadam set alight, sending clouds of toxic gas over wide areas? burning oil produces loads of dangerous particulates over a large area.
Don't suppose that helped, but this seems to be evidence from people that were there about something not discussed or reported on, so I'd like to find out about it, especially as the burn pits seem to be in particular places and have effected those that lived around them.
From people?
One person lays claim to this
Its hearsay and as usual the left jump on it with their hate of western people
Just about sums you up Stassi
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Irn Bru Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:14 am
Never ceases to amaze me when the RW Tory Neocons claim the moral high ground with their banner waving on supporting the troops when they go off to war on the orders of their government but when they come home suffering from the effects of war like waht happened with the burn pits they don’t want to know about it and dismiss their concerns as Jackanory. This is anything but Jackanory and is the subject of actions currently going through the US courts and it concerns both US and UK troops.
The Jackanory response is nothing short of disgusting and shameful and shows no respect to the US and British troops who were affected by this. I truly hope they get the justice they deserve even if others don’t.
Support the vets – they deserve it.
The Jackanory response is nothing short of disgusting and shameful and shows no respect to the US and British troops who were affected by this. I truly hope they get the justice they deserve even if others don’t.
Support the vets – they deserve it.
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 5:28 am
Irn Bru wrote:Never ceases to amaze me when the RW Tory Neocons claim the moral high ground with their banner waving on supporting the troops when they go off to war on the orders of their government but when they come home suffering from the effects of war like waht happened with the burn pits they don’t want to know about it and dismiss their concerns as Jackanory. This is anything but Jackanory and is the subject of actions currently going through the US courts and it concerns both US and UK troops.
The Jackanory response is nothing short of disgusting and shameful and shows no respect to the US and British troops who were affected by this. I truly hope they get the justice they deserve even if others don’t.
Support the vets – they deserve it.
never ceases to amaze me how naive you are
Where is the mass of vets supporting this?
Its nothing more than someone trying to manipulate money out of the US government which I find disgusting.
Cannot wait to see the medical evidence on this
Guest- Guest
For those that just can't function with a STFW sites/serach engines
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:19 pm
From a 
topic that many of us Americans have been voicing our outrage and pushing for the GOP to STOP CUTTING FUNDING TO THE VA {veterans administration}
Just one of many of those toxic burn pits and the smoke drifting
away from the barracks on a 'GOOD DAY'; on the bad days - the
wind blew those toxic fumes right into base camp for everyone
to enjoy the hazards!
Internal Memo From the Dept. of Air Force 20, Dec 06
Cussed and Discussed this with all of the other heinous issues that our
War Criminals GWB/Herr Cheney/Rumsfeld created with their aggressive action
{polite verbiage for 2 wars} into Iraq and Afghanistan !!!
But more then anything to STFU the ilk of sub-humans like
#1 and his ilk...to lazy & totally lame to do any serious reading and research but has to be Spoon Fed {like the wee-child} that he is!
So happy to oblige; any time - any where to prove what a waste of bandwidth he is!
topic that many of us Americans have been voicing our outrage and pushing for the GOP to STOP CUTTING FUNDING TO THE VA {veterans administration}Just one of many of those toxic burn pits and the smoke drifting
away from the barracks on a 'GOOD DAY'; on the bad days - the
wind blew those toxic fumes right into base camp for everyone
to enjoy the hazards!
Internal Memo From the Dept. of Air Force 20, Dec 06
Cussed and Discussed this with all of the other heinous issues that our
War Criminals GWB/Herr Cheney/Rumsfeld created with their aggressive action
{polite verbiage for 2 wars} into Iraq and Afghanistan !!!
But more then anything to STFU the ilk of sub-humans like
#1 and his ilk...to lazy & totally lame to do any serious reading and research but has to be Spoon Fed {like the wee-child} that he is! So happy to oblige; any time - any where to prove what a waste of bandwidth he is!
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:22 pm
Yet more hype and jackanory
They have not been able to quantify contaminants??? lol
So there say its a possible health hazard
Now the medical reports making any links?
They have not been able to quantify contaminants??? lol
So there say its a possible health hazard
Now the medical reports making any links?
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:24 pm
I knew it was a problem, but until I started reading up on it, I didn't realise how much of a problem is was and the numbers that suffered from it.
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:28 pm
sassy wrote:I knew it was a problem, but until I started reading up on it, I didn't realise how much of a problem is was and the numbers that suffered from it.
Absolutely; and the locals were allowed to bring whatever items they had to these sites and dump them --- regardless of the bio-hazards that they carried.
What we did to those miles of sand that will filter right back into the under ground aquafer's --- well that will be a toxic hazard for the locals for centuries!
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:28 pm
One of the studies on it:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/health-effects-studies.asp
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
This IOM finding focused on pulmonary (lung) function, not respiratory disease, and noted that further studies are required. There is little current scientific evidence on long-term health consequences of reduced lung function.
The report found inadequate or insufficient evidence of a relation between exposure to combustion products and cancer, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, neurological diseases, and adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes.
In preparing its report, IOM used a wide range of information, including raw air-sampling data collected by the Department of Defense in 2007 and 2009, National Research Council reports, and studies by the Environmental Protection Agency and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
You also may conduct an extensive search on health effects of burn pits through the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s PubMed.
- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/health-effects-studies.asp#sthash.QFg3iUkL.dpuf
Studies on Possible Health Effects of Burn Pits
Burn Pits
Registry
Studies
Institute of Medicine report on burn pits
VA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, a non-governmental organization, to examine available scientific and medical evidence on health issues and exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
This IOM finding focused on pulmonary (lung) function, not respiratory disease, and noted that further studies are required. There is little current scientific evidence on long-term health consequences of reduced lung function.
The report found inadequate or insufficient evidence of a relation between exposure to combustion products and cancer, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, neurological diseases, and adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes.
In preparing its report, IOM used a wide range of information, including raw air-sampling data collected by the Department of Defense in 2007 and 2009, National Research Council reports, and studies by the Environmental Protection Agency and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
VA and Department of Defense studies
VA and the Department of Defense will conduct a long-term study that will follow Veterans for decades looking at their exposures and health issues to determine the impact of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Read the February 4, 2013 notice in the Federal Register to learn more.
VA is conducting the National Health Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans. The study group includes 30,000 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans and 30,000 Veterans who served elsewhere during the same period. The study covers a wide spectrum of health effects, including those that may be associated with exposure to smoke from burn pits.
VA is participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, a Department of Defense epidemiological study begun in 2001 that has over 150,000 participants. The study is designed to evaluate how military service may affect the long-term health of Servicemembers. Data are being collected on respiratory health.
The VA/Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Service is reviewing the health records of military working dogs that receive the same exposures that the troops do. These dogs may serve as sentinels for human health.
VA is sponsoring additional studies by individual VA researchers and tracking other studies by non-VA researchers.
You also may conduct an extensive search on health effects of burn pits through the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s PubMed.
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/health-effects-studies.asp
Studies on Possible Health Effects of Burn Pits
- Burn Pits
- Registry
- Studies
Institute of Medicine report on burn pits
VA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, a non-governmental organization, to examine available scientific and medical evidence on health issues and exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
This IOM finding focused on pulmonary (lung) function, not respiratory disease, and noted that further studies are required. There is little current scientific evidence on long-term health consequences of reduced lung function.
The report found inadequate or insufficient evidence of a relation between exposure to combustion products and cancer, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, neurological diseases, and adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes.
In preparing its report, IOM used a wide range of information, including raw air-sampling data collected by the Department of Defense in 2007 and 2009, National Research Council reports, and studies by the Environmental Protection Agency and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
VA and Department of Defense studies
- VA and the Department of Defense will conduct a long-term study that will follow Veterans for decades looking at their exposures and health issues to determine the impact of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Read the February 4, 2013 notice in the Federal Register to learn more.
- VA is conducting the National Health Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans. The study group includes 30,000 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans and 30,000 Veterans who served elsewhere during the same period. The study covers a wide spectrum of health effects, including those that may be associated with exposure to smoke from burn pits.
- VA is participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, a Department of Defense epidemiological study begun in 2001 that has over 150,000 participants. The study is designed to evaluate how military service may affect the long-term health of Servicemembers. Data are being collected on respiratory health.
- The VA/Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Service is reviewing the health records of military working dogs that receive the same exposures that the troops do. These dogs may serve as sentinels for human health.
- VA is sponsoring additional studies by individual VA researchers and tracking other studies by non-VA researchers.
You also may conduct an extensive search on health effects of burn pits through the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s PubMed.
- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/health-effects-studies.asp#sthash.QFg3iUkL.dpuf
Studies on Possible Health Effects of Burn Pits
Burn Pits
Registry
Studies
Institute of Medicine report on burn pits
VA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, a non-governmental organization, to examine available scientific and medical evidence on health issues and exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
This IOM finding focused on pulmonary (lung) function, not respiratory disease, and noted that further studies are required. There is little current scientific evidence on long-term health consequences of reduced lung function.
The report found inadequate or insufficient evidence of a relation between exposure to combustion products and cancer, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, neurological diseases, and adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes.
In preparing its report, IOM used a wide range of information, including raw air-sampling data collected by the Department of Defense in 2007 and 2009, National Research Council reports, and studies by the Environmental Protection Agency and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
VA and Department of Defense studies
VA and the Department of Defense will conduct a long-term study that will follow Veterans for decades looking at their exposures and health issues to determine the impact of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Read the February 4, 2013 notice in the Federal Register to learn more.
VA is conducting the National Health Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans. The study group includes 30,000 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans and 30,000 Veterans who served elsewhere during the same period. The study covers a wide spectrum of health effects, including those that may be associated with exposure to smoke from burn pits.
VA is participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, a Department of Defense epidemiological study begun in 2001 that has over 150,000 participants. The study is designed to evaluate how military service may affect the long-term health of Servicemembers. Data are being collected on respiratory health.
The VA/Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Service is reviewing the health records of military working dogs that receive the same exposures that the troops do. These dogs may serve as sentinels for human health.
VA is sponsoring additional studies by individual VA researchers and tracking other studies by non-VA researchers.
You also may conduct an extensive search on health effects of burn pits through the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s PubMed.
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:28 pm
Medical reports?
vets supporting these claims?
In your open time please
vets supporting these claims?
In your open time please
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:29 pm
aspca4ever wrote:sassy wrote:I knew it was a problem, but until I started reading up on it, I didn't realise how much of a problem is was and the numbers that suffered from it.
Absolutely; and the locals were allowed to bring whatever items they had to these sites and dump them --- regardless of the bio-hazards that they carried.
What we did to those miles of sand that will filter right back into the under ground aquafer's --- well that will be a toxic hazard for the locals for centuries!
Sometimes I think we go out of our way to mess up people!
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:30 pm
Seek the truth and you will find it
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
In other words they found very limited effects, meaning negligible
That is not evidence either saying suggestive, so no credible link
lol
Hilarious
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
In other words they found very limited effects, meaning negligible
That is not evidence either saying suggestive, so no credible link
lol
Hilarious
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:32 pm
I'll not be spoon feeding the community form #1 any further!
Let's let the lazy/supreme whiner prove he's capable of actually doing some of the research and perhaps his mommy will read these posts to him! And MAYBE he'll play with his little plastic toy soldiers instead of his normal application that he enjoys doing with his hands!
#1 any further!Let's let the lazy/supreme whiner prove he's capable of actually doing some of the research and perhaps his mommy will read these posts to him! And MAYBE he'll play with his little plastic toy soldiers instead of his normal application that he enjoys doing with his hands!
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:33 pm
aspca4ever wrote:I'll not be spoon feeding the community form
Let's let the lazy/supreme whiner prove he's capable of actually doing some of the research and perhaps his mommy will read these posts to him! And MAYBE he'll play with his little plastic toy soldiers instead of his normal application that he enjoys doing with his hands!
Sorry the forum does not understand baby talk
We need a toddler to translate the above
Once again for the simple minded
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
In other words they found very limited effects, meaning negligible
That is not evidence either saying suggestive, so no credible link
lol
Hilarious
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:37 pm
16 Feb 2016
US military burn pits built on chemical weapons facilities tied to soldiers' illness
Though the US government disputes it, new evidence shows a link between service in Iraq and Afghanistan and cancers and untreatable bronchial illnesses
In 2007, shortly after vice-president Joe Biden learned that his eldest son would be deployed to Iraq, the then-presidential hopeful turned to a modest crowd at the Iowa state fair and admitted that he didn’t want Beau to go. “But I tell you what,” he said, his family lined up behind him. “I don’t want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years and so how we leave makes a big difference.”
Beau arrived in Iraq the following year, and spent the next several months serving as a Jag officer at Camp Victory, just outside of the Baghdad airport, and Joint Base Balad, nearly 40 miles north of Baghdad. Though he returned home safely in September 2009, he woke up one day a few months later with an inexplicable headache, numbness in his limbs and paralysis on one side of his body. Beau had suffered a mild stroke. His health deteriorated, and he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Less than two years later, he died at the age of 46.
Though the underlying cause of Beau’s cancer cannot be confirmed, evidence gathered in a new book out Tuesday suggests a possible link between his illness and service. Based on clusters of similar cases, scientific studies and expert opinions, author Joseph Hickman proposes in The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America’s Soldiers that US service members in Iraq and Afghanistan confronted more than one unexpected enemy that followed them home. Many soldiers complain of respiratory issues relating to their burn pit exposure. But others likely developed more life-threatening conditions such as cancers, Hickman contends, because of what the burn pits were built on top of: the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons program.
From the moment the US launched its campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon ordered the use of open-air burn pits to dispose of the wars’ massive volume of waste. The military relied heavily upon these sprawling ditches, which burned around the clock to consume the tens or even hundreds of tons of junk generated daily. By May 2003, according to Hickman, there were more than 250 burn pits at US bases peppered across the two nations.
The Department of Defense has long recognized that burn pits pose a substantial danger, especially to the environment. Waste management guidance in 1978, for instance, said that solid waste should not be burned in an open pit if an alternative is available, like incinerators. But the department charged ahead anyway and hired contractors like Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) to manage the pits. And up until 2009, the military didn’t have comprehensive standards in place governing what could or could not be burned. Centcom and the Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment regarding the standards or lack thereof.
“I’ll never forget the smell of burning shit,” said Marcus Hill, a retired US army sergeant who served in Balad between 2004 and 2007. But that was the least of his concerns. Among the other hazardous items service members recall being burned are: petroleum, oil, rubber, tires, plastic, styrofoam, batteries, appliances, electrical equipment, pesticides, aerosol cans, oil, explosives, casings, medical waste and animal and human carcasses. They also used jet fuel to stoke the fire.
These materials converged in a toxic plume that hovered over the base, and seeped into soldiers’ sleeping and working quarters, which were often a mile or less away. “Sometimes the smoke was so dense that you could breath it in and back out again, kind of like smoking a cigar,” said Hill. But for Hill and many others, the hazy cocktail didn’t initially register as a threat. “After being blown up a couple of times, you didn’t complain about stuff like that. It wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “It was part of our mission and we were told not to worry about it.”
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country. Retired army Lt Col Rick Lamberth oversaw the building of US military bases in Iraq, many of which were placed on top of destroyed Iraqi bases. “I witnessed burn pit violations on a weekly basis,” he testified before Congress in 2009.
“At the limited number of bases where KBR operated burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, KBR personnel did so safely and effectively at the direction and under the control of the US military,” KBR said in a statement.
“Government studies and reports show that military personnel deployed to south-west Asia were exposed to many hazardous conditions, including the harsh ambient air. The government’s best scientific and expert opinions have repeatedly concluded there is no link between any long term health issues and burn pit emissions.”
Ralph Allen, a retired professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia, disagrees. “It is a real concern about what they were burning,” he said. “But what was even more concerning is the fact it is possible that a heavy bombardment of a chemical weapons facility could have contaminated the ground, and those contaminants could have become airborne while the burn pits were operational.”
Detonation, either inadvertent or purposeful, might not even be necessary to release the toxin. “In my experience, anything that is stored for a long time eventually gets into the environment,” said Mozhgan
Savabieasfahani, an independent toxicologist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Once toxins are released into the environment, she argues, they eventually find their way into people’s bodies – whether they are carcinogens relentlessly spewed from burn pits or chemical agents released from weapons.
Szema prescribed the young soldiers asthma medication. When most of the patients’ conditions did not improve, he conducted a series of tests and concluded that they had sustained lung injuries stemming from their service.
He recalls taking a lung biopsy of a patient who, like Beau, had served in Balad and discovered that the specimen was covered with titanium and iron in a non-naturally occurring ratio, meaning it came from a man-made source. Now the director of a center focused on deployment health at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Szema is analyzing more service members’ lung tissue to determine the metal particles’ oxidation state – if it has been burnt or not. That, he says, will settle whether burn pits are directly contributing to soldiers’ illness or whether it was the product of other explosions.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that burned waste, even in a small pit in one’s own backyard, releases harmful toxins that contribute to a slew of illnesses. Dioxins, which the EPA says can come from metal smelting, are capable of altering the development of cells and causing cancer.
The VA does not acknowledge a link between burn pits and long-term health problems, nor does it provide specialized care, says Torres. And of the 500 people included in Hickman’s burn pit study, the VA denied disability benefits to over 90% of them. Torres started an organization to promote awareness of burn pit-related illnesses, BurnPits 360°.
“I think that there is a general concern that this is a costly problem,” Miller says of the government’s investigation and handling of sick veterans. “I think that has limited how aggressive the Department of Defense wants to be in pursuing this issue.”
“The VA and Department of Defense are working together to provide veterans with the best possible care,” a VA spokesman said. “The VA provides healthcare for deployment-related issues at no cost for at least five years after deployment. This allows the VA to provide care for Veterans while we work to determine individual service connection for their health condition.”
Following years of fighting for recognition and care, Congress passed legislation in 2012 setting up an Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry so the VA could track people like Le Roy. The registry currently has 59,000 entries, according the VA. “So much more research needs to be done,” Hickman says of the US’s toxic legacy and hidden casualties. “Hopefully the registry will shed some light on how many service members got sick in the years to come.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/16/us-military-burn-pits-chemical-weapons-cancer-illness-iraq-afghanistan-veterans
And so it continues, governments always happy to men to die for them, never happy to pay up when the wars they wage cause untold effects on their lives.
US military burn pits built on chemical weapons facilities tied to soldiers' illness
Though the US government disputes it, new evidence shows a link between service in Iraq and Afghanistan and cancers and untreatable bronchial illnesses
In 2007, shortly after vice-president Joe Biden learned that his eldest son would be deployed to Iraq, the then-presidential hopeful turned to a modest crowd at the Iowa state fair and admitted that he didn’t want Beau to go. “But I tell you what,” he said, his family lined up behind him. “I don’t want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years and so how we leave makes a big difference.”
Beau arrived in Iraq the following year, and spent the next several months serving as a Jag officer at Camp Victory, just outside of the Baghdad airport, and Joint Base Balad, nearly 40 miles north of Baghdad. Though he returned home safely in September 2009, he woke up one day a few months later with an inexplicable headache, numbness in his limbs and paralysis on one side of his body. Beau had suffered a mild stroke. His health deteriorated, and he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Less than two years later, he died at the age of 46.
Though the underlying cause of Beau’s cancer cannot be confirmed, evidence gathered in a new book out Tuesday suggests a possible link between his illness and service. Based on clusters of similar cases, scientific studies and expert opinions, author Joseph Hickman proposes in The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America’s Soldiers that US service members in Iraq and Afghanistan confronted more than one unexpected enemy that followed them home. Many soldiers complain of respiratory issues relating to their burn pit exposure. But others likely developed more life-threatening conditions such as cancers, Hickman contends, because of what the burn pits were built on top of: the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons program.
From the moment the US launched its campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon ordered the use of open-air burn pits to dispose of the wars’ massive volume of waste. The military relied heavily upon these sprawling ditches, which burned around the clock to consume the tens or even hundreds of tons of junk generated daily. By May 2003, according to Hickman, there were more than 250 burn pits at US bases peppered across the two nations.
The Department of Defense has long recognized that burn pits pose a substantial danger, especially to the environment. Waste management guidance in 1978, for instance, said that solid waste should not be burned in an open pit if an alternative is available, like incinerators. But the department charged ahead anyway and hired contractors like Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) to manage the pits. And up until 2009, the military didn’t have comprehensive standards in place governing what could or could not be burned. Centcom and the Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment regarding the standards or lack thereof.
“I’ll never forget the smell of burning shit,” said Marcus Hill, a retired US army sergeant who served in Balad between 2004 and 2007. But that was the least of his concerns. Among the other hazardous items service members recall being burned are: petroleum, oil, rubber, tires, plastic, styrofoam, batteries, appliances, electrical equipment, pesticides, aerosol cans, oil, explosives, casings, medical waste and animal and human carcasses. They also used jet fuel to stoke the fire.
These materials converged in a toxic plume that hovered over the base, and seeped into soldiers’ sleeping and working quarters, which were often a mile or less away. “Sometimes the smoke was so dense that you could breath it in and back out again, kind of like smoking a cigar,” said Hill. But for Hill and many others, the hazy cocktail didn’t initially register as a threat. “After being blown up a couple of times, you didn’t complain about stuff like that. It wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “It was part of our mission and we were told not to worry about it.”
•••
Hickman conducted a statistical study on a select sample of the thousands of military members who said they were experiencing health effects from their exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the help of Seton Hall Law Center, he found that five of the six bases that saw the worst health cases, such as cancers and untreatable bronchial illnesses, were located on or near documented chemical warfare sites, where chemical weapons were left over from Saddam Hussein’s rule. Those locations include Mosul, Taji, Tikrit, Tallil and Balad, where Beau spent some time serving. And of the 112 service members and contractors Hickman found who served at both Camp Victory and Joint Base Balad like Beau, 31 suffered from different forms of cancers and brain tumors.Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country. Retired army Lt Col Rick Lamberth oversaw the building of US military bases in Iraq, many of which were placed on top of destroyed Iraqi bases. “I witnessed burn pit violations on a weekly basis,” he testified before Congress in 2009.
“At the limited number of bases where KBR operated burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, KBR personnel did so safely and effectively at the direction and under the control of the US military,” KBR said in a statement.
“Government studies and reports show that military personnel deployed to south-west Asia were exposed to many hazardous conditions, including the harsh ambient air. The government’s best scientific and expert opinions have repeatedly concluded there is no link between any long term health issues and burn pit emissions.”
Ralph Allen, a retired professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia, disagrees. “It is a real concern about what they were burning,” he said. “But what was even more concerning is the fact it is possible that a heavy bombardment of a chemical weapons facility could have contaminated the ground, and those contaminants could have become airborne while the burn pits were operational.”
Detonation, either inadvertent or purposeful, might not even be necessary to release the toxin. “In my experience, anything that is stored for a long time eventually gets into the environment,” said Mozhgan
Savabieasfahani, an independent toxicologist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Once toxins are released into the environment, she argues, they eventually find their way into people’s bodies – whether they are carcinogens relentlessly spewed from burn pits or chemical agents released from weapons.
•••
In 2004, Dr Anthony Szema returned from summer vacation to find a surprising scene in his waiting room. “Instead of it being full of 80-year-old white men in wheelchairs with oxygen, it was full of young women and men of all ethnicities, all wearing uniforms and all saying that they [were] short of breath,” he said. They had recently come from Iraq and each wanted to be treated quickly to return to the fight.Szema prescribed the young soldiers asthma medication. When most of the patients’ conditions did not improve, he conducted a series of tests and concluded that they had sustained lung injuries stemming from their service.
He recalls taking a lung biopsy of a patient who, like Beau, had served in Balad and discovered that the specimen was covered with titanium and iron in a non-naturally occurring ratio, meaning it came from a man-made source. Now the director of a center focused on deployment health at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Szema is analyzing more service members’ lung tissue to determine the metal particles’ oxidation state – if it has been burnt or not. That, he says, will settle whether burn pits are directly contributing to soldiers’ illness or whether it was the product of other explosions.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that burned waste, even in a small pit in one’s own backyard, releases harmful toxins that contribute to a slew of illnesses. Dioxins, which the EPA says can come from metal smelting, are capable of altering the development of cells and causing cancer.
•••
When Rosie Torres’s husband Le Roy went to the VA complaining of respiratory issues, it was dismissed as anxiety. He eventually sought the care of Dr Robert Miller of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who determined Le Roy had constrictive bronchiolitis, a rare, non-reversible and life-threatening lung disorder.The VA does not acknowledge a link between burn pits and long-term health problems, nor does it provide specialized care, says Torres. And of the 500 people included in Hickman’s burn pit study, the VA denied disability benefits to over 90% of them. Torres started an organization to promote awareness of burn pit-related illnesses, BurnPits 360°.
“I think that there is a general concern that this is a costly problem,” Miller says of the government’s investigation and handling of sick veterans. “I think that has limited how aggressive the Department of Defense wants to be in pursuing this issue.”
“The VA and Department of Defense are working together to provide veterans with the best possible care,” a VA spokesman said. “The VA provides healthcare for deployment-related issues at no cost for at least five years after deployment. This allows the VA to provide care for Veterans while we work to determine individual service connection for their health condition.”
Following years of fighting for recognition and care, Congress passed legislation in 2012 setting up an Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry so the VA could track people like Le Roy. The registry currently has 59,000 entries, according the VA. “So much more research needs to be done,” Hickman says of the US’s toxic legacy and hidden casualties. “Hopefully the registry will shed some light on how many service members got sick in the years to come.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/16/us-military-burn-pits-chemical-weapons-cancer-illness-iraq-afghanistan-veterans
And so it continues, governments always happy to men to die for them, never happy to pay up when the wars they wage cause untold effects on their lives.
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:39 pm
Again where is the link
Giving doctors opinions count for little where medical tests cannot find any link
lol
hilarious
I love it when the regressive left are that stupid
Giving doctors opinions count for little where medical tests cannot find any link
lol
hilarious
I love it when the regressive left are that stupid
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:43 pm
Hang on
Is Hickman saying there was chemical weapon facilities?
So exposure to these would be a different kettle of fish altogether
That then is far removed from burn pits
Is Hickman saying there was chemical weapon facilities?
So exposure to these would be a different kettle of fish altogether
That then is far removed from burn pits
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:43 pm
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp114D27x6&r_n=sr057.114&dbname=cp114&&sel=TOC_160123&
Respiratory Illnesses- The Department is directed to submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress no later than 180 days after enactment of this act on the current status and findings of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, as well as information on other research and development activities the Department is conducting to explore the potential health risks of environmental exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly as they relate to respiratory illnesses such as chronic cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, constrictive bronchiolitis, and pulmonary fibrosis. The Department should include any research and surveillance efforts that evaluate the current incidence and prevalence of respiratory illnesses among service members and veterans.
Respiratory Illnesses- The Department is directed to submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress no later than 180 days after enactment of this act on the current status and findings of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, as well as information on other research and development activities the Department is conducting to explore the potential health risks of environmental exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly as they relate to respiratory illnesses such as chronic cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, constrictive bronchiolitis, and pulmonary fibrosis. The Department should include any research and surveillance efforts that evaluate the current incidence and prevalence of respiratory illnesses among service members and veterans.
Committee Reports
114th Congress (2015-2016)
Senate Report 114-057
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:44 pm
I thought there was no chemical weapons?????
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country.
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country.
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:47 pm
Were you exposed to burn pits while deployed?
Image of female Airman tossing old uniforms into a firepit to be burned
An airman tosses uniforms into a burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in 2008. The military burns unusable uniforms so they don't end up in enemy hands. Photo by: Senior Airman Julianne Showalter, USAF
By Hans Petersen
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Were you exposed to burn pits while deployed?
Did you serve in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, Djibouti, Africa, Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm or the Southeast Asia theater of operations after August, 1990?
Do you think you may have been exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards?
Some Veterans have reported respiratory symptoms and health conditions that may be related to exposure to burn pits. The long-term health effects of exposure to burn pits and other airborne hazards are not fully understood. In an effort to better understand these health effects, VA has launched the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry for Veterans and Servicemembers.
“While nearly 61,000 Veterans and Servicemembers have joined the Burn Pit Registry since its launch nearly two years ago, this is only a small fraction of the estimated 3 million individuals who may be eligible to join this registry,” said Dr. Stephen Hunt, National Director of VA’s Post-Deployment Integrated Care Initiative. “I encourage as many eligible individuals as possible to sign up for the Burn Pit Registry.”
“It provides Veterans long term follow up for any conditions they have or could emerge down the road.”
Since the early 1980s, Dr. Hunt has conducted registry exams for the Agent Orange, Former POW, Gulf War, Ionizing Radiation, and the Airborne Hazards and the Open Burn Pit Registries. According to Dr. Hunt, the Burn Pit Registry will help Veterans in a number of ways.
The Registry gives participants an opportunity to document any concerns they may have about deployment-related exposures and provides an opportunity to obtain a free health evaluation by a VA or DoD provider. The evaluation can identify and document any problems potentially related to the exposures and ensure ongoing follow up for any existing health conditions or any additional conditions that could emerge down the road.
One challenge when addressing environmental exposures is that we don’t always know what the long-term health effects of those exposures may be or when those health concerns might arise. Some exposures don’t lead to any long-term problems. Others, however, may have long-term or downstream health effects that aren’t identifiable early on. Through the registry, if health conditions related to exposures do emerge months or years later, we will be able to identify them more quickly and to make sure that Veterans get the health care that they need in a timely manner.
A common misunderstanding about the registry is that participation is required to obtain disability compensation benefits. This is not true. The burn pit registry and all other VA registries are unrelated to the disability compensation rating process. While a Registry note in your medical record summarizing your exposure concerns and related medical treatment may serve as evidence to support a claim, it is not a necessary document or step in the claims process.
The registry is open to anyone who served in:
Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn
Djibouti, Africa on or after Sept. 11, 2001
Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm
Southwest Asia theater of operations on or after Aug. 2, 1990
Interested Veterans and Servicemembers can learn more about the registry in this short video, or sign up. “Ultimately, our goal in VA is to have 22 million healthy Veterans using VA services and resources as needed to ensure that they enjoy the most meaningful, satisfying, and productive lives possible,” said Hunt.
“The Burn Pit Registry is a nice way for Veterans to get their foot in the door at the VA and to explore the services, benefits and resources available to them through VA health care.”
The Burn Pit Registry is one more reflection of how far VA has come. It is a measure of how much progress we’ve made in taking care of individuals with deployment-related exposure concerns, and in taking care of Veterans in general.
Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn Djibouti, Africa on or after Sept. 11, 2001 Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm Southeast Asia theater of operations on or after Aug. 2, 1990.
- See more at: http://www.va.gov/HEALTH/NewsFeatures/2016/March/Were-you-exposed-to-burn-pits-while-deployed.asp#sthash.DRYmcvdh.dpuf
Image of female Airman tossing old uniforms into a firepit to be burned
An airman tosses uniforms into a burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in 2008. The military burns unusable uniforms so they don't end up in enemy hands. Photo by: Senior Airman Julianne Showalter, USAF
By Hans Petersen
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Were you exposed to burn pits while deployed?
Did you serve in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, Djibouti, Africa, Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm or the Southeast Asia theater of operations after August, 1990?
Do you think you may have been exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards?
Some Veterans have reported respiratory symptoms and health conditions that may be related to exposure to burn pits. The long-term health effects of exposure to burn pits and other airborne hazards are not fully understood. In an effort to better understand these health effects, VA has launched the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry for Veterans and Servicemembers.
“While nearly 61,000 Veterans and Servicemembers have joined the Burn Pit Registry since its launch nearly two years ago, this is only a small fraction of the estimated 3 million individuals who may be eligible to join this registry,” said Dr. Stephen Hunt, National Director of VA’s Post-Deployment Integrated Care Initiative. “I encourage as many eligible individuals as possible to sign up for the Burn Pit Registry.”
“It provides Veterans long term follow up for any conditions they have or could emerge down the road.”
Since the early 1980s, Dr. Hunt has conducted registry exams for the Agent Orange, Former POW, Gulf War, Ionizing Radiation, and the Airborne Hazards and the Open Burn Pit Registries. According to Dr. Hunt, the Burn Pit Registry will help Veterans in a number of ways.
The Registry gives participants an opportunity to document any concerns they may have about deployment-related exposures and provides an opportunity to obtain a free health evaluation by a VA or DoD provider. The evaluation can identify and document any problems potentially related to the exposures and ensure ongoing follow up for any existing health conditions or any additional conditions that could emerge down the road.
One challenge when addressing environmental exposures is that we don’t always know what the long-term health effects of those exposures may be or when those health concerns might arise. Some exposures don’t lead to any long-term problems. Others, however, may have long-term or downstream health effects that aren’t identifiable early on. Through the registry, if health conditions related to exposures do emerge months or years later, we will be able to identify them more quickly and to make sure that Veterans get the health care that they need in a timely manner.
A common misunderstanding about the registry is that participation is required to obtain disability compensation benefits. This is not true. The burn pit registry and all other VA registries are unrelated to the disability compensation rating process. While a Registry note in your medical record summarizing your exposure concerns and related medical treatment may serve as evidence to support a claim, it is not a necessary document or step in the claims process.
The registry is open to anyone who served in:
Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn
Djibouti, Africa on or after Sept. 11, 2001
Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm
Southwest Asia theater of operations on or after Aug. 2, 1990
Interested Veterans and Servicemembers can learn more about the registry in this short video, or sign up. “Ultimately, our goal in VA is to have 22 million healthy Veterans using VA services and resources as needed to ensure that they enjoy the most meaningful, satisfying, and productive lives possible,” said Hunt.
“The Burn Pit Registry is a nice way for Veterans to get their foot in the door at the VA and to explore the services, benefits and resources available to them through VA health care.”
The Burn Pit Registry is one more reflection of how far VA has come. It is a measure of how much progress we’ve made in taking care of individuals with deployment-related exposure concerns, and in taking care of Veterans in general.
Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn Djibouti, Africa on or after Sept. 11, 2001 Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm Southeast Asia theater of operations on or after Aug. 2, 1990.
- See more at: http://www.va.gov/HEALTH/NewsFeatures/2016/March/Were-you-exposed-to-burn-pits-while-deployed.asp#sthash.DRYmcvdh.dpuf
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:17 pm
The habitual problem with trying to discuss ADULT issues with wee-child minded humans is the way in which they just keep >>>
But it just goes to the very heart of the ability to debate and discuss important issues; when you keep putting you foot into your own mouth then the only option left is to 'MOVE THE GOAL POST' and keep asking redundant questions that they could look up / research --- STFW!
Seems a serious issue with the #1
But it just goes to the very heart of the ability to debate and discuss important issues; when you keep putting you foot into your own mouth then the only option left is to 'MOVE THE GOAL POST' and keep asking redundant questions that they could look up / research --- STFW!
Seems a serious issue with the #1
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:20 pm
Didge wrote:I thought there was no chemical weapons?????
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country.
Enough said
That is the smoking gun and clearly exonerates Bush as well
So naff all to do with burn fires and even the medical studies have no link
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Ben Reilly Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:18 pm
Didge wrote:Didge wrote:I thought there was no chemical weapons?????
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country.
Enough said
That is the smoking gun and clearly exonerates Bush as well
So naff all to do with burn fires and even the medical studies have no link
You need to clear out the cobwebs, Didge. Bush didn't justify the invasion based on the mere presence of chemical weapons. What he said was that Saddam was actively producing weapons of mass destruction, possible nuclear weapons, to threaten the U.S. and its allies.
Now, the very top of your link reads:
During the Iraq war, at least 17 American service members and seven Iraqi police officers were exposed to aging chemical weapons abandoned years earlier.
These weapons were not part of an active arsenal. They were remnants from Iraq’s arms program in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.
Many troops who were exposed received inadequate care. None of the veterans were enrolled in long-term health monitoring.
Munitions are unaccounted for in areas of Iraq now under control of ISIS.
Ben Reilly- King of Texas. Gigantic Killer Robot. Robin Hood of Epping Forest. Fifty Shades of Cray.
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Irn Bru Sat Mar 19, 2016 12:53 am
Didge wrote:Irn Bru wrote:Never ceases to amaze me when the RW Tory Neocons claim the moral high ground with their banner waving on supporting the troops when they go off to war on the orders of their government but when they come home suffering from the effects of war like waht happened with the burn pits they don’t want to know about it and dismiss their concerns as Jackanory. This is anything but Jackanory and is the subject of actions currently going through the US courts and it concerns both US and UK troops.
The Jackanory response is nothing short of disgusting and shameful and shows no respect to the US and British troops who were affected by this. I truly hope they get the justice they deserve even if others don’t.
Support the vets – they deserve it.
never ceases to amaze me how naive you are
Where is the mass of vets supporting this?
Its nothing more than someone trying to manipulate money out of the US government which I find disgusting.
Cannot wait to see the medical evidence on this
So now all the troops affected by this are a bunch of money grabbing liars. Coming from you that is a classic.
And instead of your ill-informed lazy jackanory response you should have done a little more research before coming out with your response instead of googling away to try and justify what you said.
Here, you need to rread this and understand exactly what the issue actually is that is going through the US courts at the moment.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-contractor-to-pay-85m-for-toxic-exposure/
I back the vets - you back the defence contractors who seek to absolve themselves of any responsiblity under sovereign inmmunity. Bad news for them is that the US Supreme court thought otherwise and kicked out their petition.
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Irn Bru Sat Mar 19, 2016 12:57 am
And just to add, almost 100 of those affected by this are British troops. God forbid that they would ever be stuck in a foxhole with you.
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:26 am
Ben_Reilly wrote:Didge wrote:
Enough said
That is the smoking gun and clearly exonerates Bush as well
So naff all to do with burn fires and even the medical studies have no link
You need to clear out the cobwebs, Didge. Bush didn't justify the invasion based on the mere presence of chemical weapons. What he said was that Saddam was actively producing weapons of mass destruction, possible nuclear weapons, to threaten the U.S. and its allies.
Now, the very top of your link reads:During the Iraq war, at least 17 American service members and seven Iraqi police officers were exposed to aging chemical weapons abandoned years earlier.
These weapons were not part of an active arsenal. They were remnants from Iraq’s arms program in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.
Many troops who were exposed received inadequate care. None of the veterans were enrolled in long-term health monitoring.
Munitions are unaccounted for in areas of Iraq now under control of ISIS.
There was never any justification for the invasion, showing again you jump in with both feet.
Clealy there was thousands of live chemical weapons that have not been properly deactivated. Which are weapons of mass destruction, not matter how poorly above you try to dress that up, as why do you think many soldiers have gotten ill over this when there is as seen no direct medical link to the burn fires? Active arsenal or not the weapons are still not deactivated
I really do not need a lesson on Iraq.
So Bush is exonerated as there clearly was thousands that have been found, still so deadly, countless soldiers have become ill from them
Bush went to war because of warped ideology he had, thinking he was a new hero able to free the suppressed, but then had Iran and Saudi deny the chance ofIraq being built because of their ongoing religious control and supremacy. This was always the biggest problem with Bush as they never gained all the big oil contracts. He was out to immortalize himself. Well he has from the very fact, he should have never trusted the Saudi's, who again were instrumental in financing and infiltrating insurgents into Iraq, as well as Iran
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:39 am
Irn Bru wrote:Didge wrote:
never ceases to amaze me how naive you are
Where is the mass of vets supporting this?
Its nothing more than someone trying to manipulate money out of the US government which I find disgusting.
Cannot wait to see the medical evidence on this
So now all the troops affected by this are a bunch of money grabbing liars. Coming from you that is a classic.
And instead of your ill-informed lazy jackanory response you should have done a little more research before coming out with your response instead of googling away to try and justify what you said.
Here, you need to rread this and understand exactly what the issue actually is that is going through the US courts at the moment.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-contractor-to-pay-85m-for-toxic-exposure/
I back the vets - you back the defence contractors who seek to absolve themselves of any responsiblity under sovereign inmmunity. Bad news for them is that the US Supreme court thought otherwise and kicked out their petition.
Yep its jackanory because even after all the medical tests Irn, there is no smoking gun
Clearly its not the soldiers fault, its regressive left wing idiots who have filled their heads with bull, when its far more probable they are suffering from the effects of chemical weapons of which they is evidence linking to the soldiers conditions. So if after numerous studies and tests have been done and cannot find no direct link, you and others are setting the Vets up to fail. At best they have circumstantial evidence.
So the soldiers are not lying, they have been fed a lied to themselves and spun a yarn by people like you
I back medical science to tell the truth, where sadly the vets are being used as political pawns by some to further their careers
First study:
[iVA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, a non-governmental organization, to examine available scientific and medical evidence on health issues and exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
Second link sassy posted
Hickman conducted a statistical study on a select sample of the thousands of military members who said they were experiencing health effects from their exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the help of Seton Hall Law Center, he found that five of the six bases that saw the worst health cases, such as cancers and untreatable bronchial illnesses, were located on or near documented chemical warfare sites, where chemical weapons were left over from Saddam Hussein’s rule. Those locations include Mosul, Taji, Tikrit, Tallil and Balad, where Beau spent some time serving. And of the 112 service members and contractors Hickman found who served at both Camp Victory and Joint Base Balad like Beau, 31 suffered from different forms of cancers and brain tumors.
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country. Retired army Lt Col Rick Lamberth oversaw the building of US military bases in Iraq, many of which were placed on top of destroyed Iraqi bases. “I witnessed burn pit violations on a weekly basis,” he testified before Congress in 2009.
“At the limited number of bases where KBR operated burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, KBR personnel did so safely and effectively at the direction and under the control of the US military,” KBR said in a statement.
“Government studies and reports show that military personnel deployed to south-west Asia were exposed to many hazardous conditions, including the harsh ambient air. The government’s best scientific and expert opinions have repeatedly concluded there is no link between any long term health issues and burn pit emissions.”
Minimal, no more than firefighters, but clear evidence of where also many of the burn sites were, so where also chemical weapons facilities. That makes it even more problematic to solve
Now if they find the link all well and good, but seriously, you are telling me that vets are now medical experts on something nobody has been yet able to find a credible link to the illness and the burn pits?
So I am not against anyone and if they have been effected by chemicals from weapons, they should be compensated.
You go off a claim, that has not had enough money put into and further research done, to find conclusive evidence
With your daft approach and they go to court and lose it will be because they were impatient for the evidence
Having only a possible link, is not going to win the money these service men need and there have been multiple studies now.
So do you have their best interest at heart?
No you do not, because you will rush in without concrete proof, which could then see them end up with nothing
You lefties are clueless, they should have gone down the road that stood them far more a chance of success, that of becoming ill exposed to chemical weapons and facilities
Last edited by Didge on Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:54 am; edited 1 time in total
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:52 am
Irn Bru wrote:And just to add, almost 100 of those affected by this are British troops. God forbid that they would ever be stuck in a foxhole with you.
I would say its a good think that people like me are around, as i would be able to persuade them to pursue the correct and best chance of winning them compensation and not down the route that has from the start been politically motivated and is going to render many Vets without compensation, because of clueless people like you.
Now court is going to award any claims, based off no direct link
Its because of people like you and those politically motivated that you do not do what is best for the vets, where as I do and stand as said a far better chance of obtaining compensation than you.
Try using your brain next time eh
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Ben Reilly Sat Mar 19, 2016 3:56 am
Didge wrote:I really do not need a lesson on Iraq.
Clearly you do, you're reduced (once again) to doubling back and spouting utter gibberish ...
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 5:56 am
Ben_Reilly wrote:Didge wrote:I really do not need a lesson on Iraq.
Clearly you do, you're reduced (once again) to doubling back and spouting utter gibberish ...
Is that why you avoided every single point I made bar this one single comment?
So all you can do now is talk about me and failed to counter a single point
Thus you have conceded to my views or are bowing out.
Like I say, you want to blow your own trumpet, knock yourself out, but I think you will find though that your trumpet is missing the three rotary values, leaving you blowing out the same note out of tune.
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by 'Wolfie Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:55 pm
ONCE again Didge proudly displays his ignorance...
AND neither Didge nor Nicko appears willing to admit that Cheney could be so evil and inhumane..
WITH regards to Halliburton corp. -- not only is Cheney a major shareholder and director; but also:
Donald Rumsfeld has apparently held significant shareholdings;
Condaleeza Rice has served on the Board of Directors;
The Bush oil concerns have reportedly used the srvices of Halliburton subsidiaries in the past..
INCESTUOUS business relationships and inherent "conflicts of interest", anyone !
AND THEN there's that minor salient fact that Halliburton subsidiaries were reportedly given so many generous military contracts, in the absence of genuine competive tenders..
AND neither Didge nor Nicko appears willing to admit that Cheney could be so evil and inhumane..
WITH regards to Halliburton corp. -- not only is Cheney a major shareholder and director; but also:
Donald Rumsfeld has apparently held significant shareholdings;
Condaleeza Rice has served on the Board of Directors;
The Bush oil concerns have reportedly used the srvices of Halliburton subsidiaries in the past..
INCESTUOUS business relationships and inherent "conflicts of interest", anyone !
AND THEN there's that minor salient fact that Halliburton subsidiaries were reportedly given so many generous military contracts, in the absence of genuine competive tenders..
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by 'Wolfie Sat Mar 19, 2016 3:06 pm
Didge wrote:Irn Bru wrote:And just to add, almost 100 of those affected by this are British troops. God forbid that they would ever be stuck in a foxhole with you.
I would say its a good think that people like me are around, as i would be able to persuade them to pursue the correct and best chance of winning them compensation and not down the route that has from the start been politically motivated and is going to render many Vets without compensation, because of clueless people like you.
............................................................
WHAT a crock...
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 3:49 pm
WhoseYourWolfie wrote:ONCE again Didge proudly displays his ignorance...
No counter, unfounded accusation
AND neither Didge nor Nicko appears willing to admit that Cheney could be so evil and inhumane..
Have not even spoken of Cheney, until you have just brought this up, then quantify evil please.
Also I think the war on Iraq was wrong
WITH regards to Halliburton corp. -- not only is Cheney a major shareholder and director; but also:
Donald Rumsfeld has apparently held significant shareholdings;
Condaleeza Rice has served on the Board of Directors;
The Bush oil concerns have reportedly used the srvices of Halliburton subsidiaries in the past..
Again what relevance does any of your points have to mine?
Zero, and I am not even a Republican supporter
Read
Oil. “If Iraq was invaded for oil,” Ahmad writes, “then the US was remarkably negligent in securing the prize.” Iraq awarded its first major post-invasion oil concessions in 2009, and the big winners? Norway, France, China and Russia. Of the 11 contracts signed only one went to a US company (Exxon Mobil). The only sector in which US firms prevailed was oil services—but “in that sector the US has always enjoyed a virtual monopoly, invasions or no,” Ahmad notes.
It’s true that Bush and Cheney had worked in the energy industry, but US oil companies did not push for the invasion—in fact they lobbied to lift the sanctions on Iraq, which blocked potential profits. The oil industry has long favored agreements with governments, Ahmad notes; belligerence, in contrast, “has only jeopardized investments and brought uncertainty to future projects.” Did US oil companies try to cash in on the opportunity presented by the toppling of Saddam Hussein? By all means, but this is not to be confused, Ahmad argues, with why the invasion happened. Gulf energy resources have long been a vital US interest, he notes, but on “no other occasion has the US had to occupy a country to secure them.”
INCESTUOUS business relationships and inherent "conflicts of interest", anyone !
AND THEN there's that minor salient fact that Halliburton subsidiaries were reportedly given so many generous military contracts, in the absence of genuine competive tenders..
So off you go and take on my points as personal views about just prove you simple are unable to counter them simple because you have no idea what you are talking about
Good luck
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 3:49 pm
WhoseYourWolfie wrote:Didge wrote:
I would say its a good think that people like me are around, as i would be able to persuade them to pursue the correct and best chance of winning them compensation and not down the route that has from the start been politically motivated and is going to render many Vets without compensation, because of clueless people like you.
............................................................
WHAT a crock...
You mean your inability to be able to have a single debate daily?
I know, it is a crock mate
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by nicko Sat Mar 19, 2016 7:58 pm
Wolfie, my eldest son fought in both wars, he said many soldiers were affected by the smoke given off from burning oil wells, how do you know it did not affect them in some way?
Were you there,? did you do any fighting in the shit that was affecting breathing? You weren't, so shut it!
Were you there,? did you do any fighting in the shit that was affecting breathing? You weren't, so shut it!
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by nicko Sat Mar 19, 2016 7:58 pm
Wolfie, my eldest son fought in both wars, he said many soldiers were affected by the smoke given off from burning oil wells, how do you know it did not affect them in some way?
Were you there,? did you do any fighting in the shit that was affecting breathing? You weren't, so shut it!
Were you there,? did you do any fighting in the shit that was affecting breathing? You weren't, so shut it!
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Ben Reilly Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:01 pm
Didge wrote:Ben_Reilly wrote:Didge wrote:I really do not need a lesson on Iraq.
Clearly you do, you're reduced (once again) to doubling back and spouting utter gibberish ...
Is that why you avoided every single point I made bar this one single comment?
So all you can do now is talk about me and failed to counter a single point
Thus you have conceded to my views or are bowing out.
Like I say, you want to blow your own trumpet, knock yourself out, but I think you will find though that your trumpet is missing the three rotary values, leaving you blowing out the same note out of tune.
Trumpets have piston valves (not rotary), and even a trumpet with no valves could still be played like a bugle.
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:04 pm
nicko wrote:Wolfie, my eldest son fought in both wars, he said many soldiers were affected by the smoke given off from burning oil wells, how do you know it did not affect them in some way?
Were you there,? did you do any fighting in the shit that was affecting breathing? You weren't, so shut it!
Hi Nicko
Actually Bee did not say that, I did based again on their is no evidence to link the illnesses suffered by the Vets, which if you read from the studies many have been infected by thousands of chemical weapons. Its easy to draw a conclusion from something, because somebody lays a claim its the reason, but in reality and after studies, no link has been found. To me who ever advised to go down this path, is settingg up to fail through a court action. when they should have appraoched this off the chemical weapons and facilities which the later was near to burn sites
Here is my earlier post Nicko
Yep its jackanory because even after all the medical tests Irn, there is no smoking gun
Clearly its not the soldiers fault, its regressive left wing idiots who have filled their heads with bull, when its far more probable they are suffering from the effects of chemical weapons of which they is evidence linking to the soldiers conditions. So if after numerous studies and tests have been done and cannot find no direct link, you and others are setting the Vets up to fail. At best they have circumstantial evidence.
So the soldiers are not lying, they have been fed a lied to themselves and spun a yarn by people like you
I back medical science to tell the truth, where sadly the vets are being used as political pawns by some to further their careers
First study:
[iVA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, a non-governmental organization, to examine available scientific and medical evidence on health issues and exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
IOM’s October 31, 2011 report, Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, found limited but suggestive evidence of a link between exposure to combustion products and reduced lung function in various groups thought to be similar to deployed Servicemembers, such as firefighters and incinerator workers.
Second link sassy posted
Hickman conducted a statistical study on a select sample of the thousands of military members who said they were experiencing health effects from their exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the help of Seton Hall Law Center, he found that five of the six bases that saw the worst health cases, such as cancers and untreatable bronchial illnesses, were located on or near documented chemical warfare sites, where chemical weapons were left over from Saddam Hussein’s rule. Those locations include Mosul, Taji, Tikrit, Tallil and Balad, where Beau spent some time serving. And of the 112 service members and contractors Hickman found who served at both Camp Victory and Joint Base Balad like Beau, 31 suffered from different forms of cancers and brain tumors.
Between 2004 and 2011, the New York Times’ CJ Chivers first reported in 2014, American and American-trained Iraqi troops encountered and were wounded by some of the thousands of chemical weapons sprinkled across the country. Retired army Lt Col Rick Lamberth oversaw the building of US military bases in Iraq, many of which were placed on top of destroyed Iraqi bases. “I witnessed burn pit violations on a weekly basis,” he testified before Congress in 2009.
“At the limited number of bases where KBR operated burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, KBR personnel did so safely and effectively at the direction and under the control of the US military,” KBR said in a statement.
“Government studies and reports show that military personnel deployed to south-west Asia were exposed to many hazardous conditions, including the harsh ambient air. The government’s best scientific and expert opinions have repeatedly concluded there is no link between any long term health issues and burn pit emissions.”
Minimal, no more than firefighters, but clear evidence of where also many of the burn sites were, so where also chemical weapons facilities. That makes it even more problematic to solve
Now if they find the link all well and good, but seriously, you are telling me that vets are now medical experts on something nobody has been yet able to find a credible link to the illness and the burn pits?
So I am not against anyone and if they have been effected by chemicals from weapons, they should be compensated.
You go off a claim, that has not had enough money put into and further research done, to find conclusive evidence
With your daft approach and they go to court and lose it will be because they were impatient for the evidence
Having only a possible link, is not going to win the money these service men need and there have been multiple studies now.
So do you have their best interest at heart?
No you do not, because you will rush in without concrete proof, which could then see them end up with nothing
You lefties are clueless, they should have gone down the road that stood them far more a chance of success, that of becoming ill exposed to chemical weapons and facilities
Guest- Guest
Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
by Guest Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Ben_Reilly wrote:Didge wrote:
Is that why you avoided every single point I made bar this one single comment?
So all you can do now is talk about me and failed to counter a single point
Thus you have conceded to my views or are bowing out.
Like I say, you want to blow your own trumpet, knock yourself out, but I think you will find though that your trumpet is missing the three rotary values, leaving you blowing out the same note out of tune.
Trumpets have piston valves (not rotary), and even a trumpet with no valves could still be played like a bugle.
Yes some do have rotary values lol
The point is you are still blowing out the same note and its badly off key
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpet
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Re: “They really don’t want this out”: The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody’s talking about
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