Recently the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that more than 200,000 people were registered on the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. Advocacy groups responded by saying that veterans exposed to airborne toxins need improved health care, not extensive lists.
According to Stars and Stripes, “The military used burn pits as waste disposal sites on bases primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of most of the trash created there, which included diesel generators, medical waste, computers and day-to-day trash from service members. The smoke generated from the pits contained toxins that can cause short- and long-term health complications. The registry, which began in June 2014, allows veterans and service members who deployed to certain regions in Southwest Asia as early as 1990 to self-report their exposures and health concerns in an online questionnaire that can be used to initiate discussions of health concerns, according to the VA’s news release about reaching more than 200,000 registrants.”
Relevant Pages: Veterans Disability