Blog post

IAVA Endorses H.R. 2419
Posted by Tom Tarantino on June 9

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is pleased to offer our support for H.R.2419, the “Military Personnel War Zone Toxic Exposure Act.” H.R. 2419 would establish a medical surveillance system to identify members of the Armed Forces exposed to chemical hazards resulting from the disposal of waste in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also would prohibit the disposal of waste by the Armed Forces in a manner that would produce dangerous levels of toxins.

More than six years into the war in Iraq and eight years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military continues daily disposal of hundreds of tons of war-zone waste in a most crude and hazardous manner — open-air burn pits. While a common practice within the Iraqi waste disposal system, the Department of Defense (DOD) has used open air burn pits as the primary means of waste disposal for its numerous FOBs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Servicemembers and contractors living on these bases are routinely exposed to the smoke from these pits as the winds shift and waste from medical facilities, trash, dining facilities, maintenance facilities, and other agencies on base is incinerated. Tactical restraints on the DOD and a general lack of a sanitation system in Iraq have forced the military to adopt this practice that Army field manuals lists as temporary and field expedient. After many years and 1.8 million troops deployed to OIF and OEF, the issue of exposure to hazardous materials from these burn pits is just now coming in to focus as members of Congress, the media and the veterans community are working to bring these hazards to light.

Hazardous exposure to toxic chemicals is not a new issue, and had been a major area of concern for veterans for over 40 years. During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 77 million liters of chemical defoliants in South Vietnam as part of a defoliant program. After 40 years of lawsuits, the VA has now recognized 11 medical conditions for presumptive disability due to potential exposure to Agent Orange. Since 1991 veterans of the Gulf War have complained of a variety of illnesses from auto immune disorders to cancer; claiming that they were caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, depleted uranium and preventative medications. It wasn’t until 2008 that a study by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that scientific evidence leaves no question that Persian Gulf War illness is a real condition with real causes and serious consequences for affected veterans.

In hopes of determining if a connection between exposure to burn pits and chronic health ailments exist, members of Congress, the media, and the veterans community have set up www.burnpits.org, to collect official documents, news stories, and personal testimonies of servicemembers who may have health issues related to burn pit exposure. Additionally, Rep. Bishop introduced H.R. 2419.

By establishing a tracking registry and a method of continuous evaluation and examination, H.R. 2419 will greatly improve health services for servicemembers who may be suffering from illnesses related to toxic exposure. Additionally, by limiting the use of open air burn pits, this bill helps protect members of the Armed Forces from exposure to potentially hazardous waste while serving their country.

Tom Tarantino, an Iraq veteran, serves as IAVA's Legislative Associate in Washington, D.C.