Noteboom The Law Firm

Military Still Using Burn Pits

October 25, 2010 - It has been shown how soldiers who were exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered serious physical effects. Following these findings, Congress passed legislation designed to change disposal procedures in the pits. It was hoped by doing this, fewer toxic substances would be burned in the pits and cause harm to soldiers in the area. A recently released U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, however, documented how burn pits are still in operation across Iraq and Afghanistan. This means troops are continually being exposed to toxic fumes.

The GAO's report looked at 4 specific bases in Iraq. They found that none of the burn pits were conforming to U.S. regulations, which were passed in 2009. These rules strictly preclude using open-air burn pits to burn hazardous and bio-medical waste unless there is no other choice. One particularly disturbing finding is the bases were continually burning plastic, which results in dioxins (the same type of chemicals found in Agent Orange) being released into the air.

The burden is on the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure these bases are in compliance with the rules and therefore keeping troops safe from exposure to toxic fumes. Last year, 2 million soldiers had been exposed to such hazardous waste. When the investigation into the pits started, it was noted that the pits were being used to burn:  

• Waste;
• Plastics;
• Paints;
• Batteries;
• Undetonated explosives; and
• Electronics.

The DoD has acknowledged being exposed to the burn pits could very well have the potential to cause serious harm to soldiers suffering from pre-existing medical conditions. Hopefully these bases will start conforming to the DoD's own safety regulations before soldiers experience permanent or disabling consequences.