Burning Toxic Waste Makes US Soldiers Sick
Burning Toxic Waste is Making U.S. Soldiers and Iraqis Sick, But the Pentagon Refuses to Admit It
By Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. Posted March 18, 2009.
Six years into the war, many U.S. bases in Iraq are still without incinerators, leaving open pits spewing toxic plumes over soldiers and civilians.
Acetaldehyde, Acrolien, Arsenic, Benzene, Carbon Monoxide, Ethylbenzene, Formaldehyde, Hydrogen Cyanide, Hydrogen Fluoride, Phosgene, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulfuric Acid, Toluene, Trichloroethane, Xylene. These are just some of the chemicals detected in smoke from the Balad Burn Pit, one of the many vast open pits spewing toxic plumes over Iraq and Afghanistan.
But not to worry; In “Just the Facts,” an information sheet for troops, the Department of Defense has stated that “the potential short- and long-term risks” from Balad “were estimated to be low.” The VA has just announced it will monitor reports of veterans’ pit-related illness. But the DoD has yet to declassify old air sample reports or issue current findings.
The Pentagon’s fact sheet appeared after VAWatchdog.com linked to a memo showing that, as early as 2006, the DoD had known that the pit was “an acute health hazard.” In the memo, titled “Burn Pit Health Hazards,” Air Force Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Commander Darrin Curtis wrote to authorities that he found it “amazing that the burn pit has been able to operate without restrictions over the past few years without significant engineering controls being put in place.” In an accompanying memo, James R. Elliott, Chief of Air Force Aeromedical Services, concurred that the pit’s fumes contained “known carcinogens” and “respiratory sensitizers” that posed a “chronic and acute health hazard to our troops and the local population.”
“Iraqi Crud” and “Black Goop”
This week, the same memo was boldly posted on Wikileaks, more widely publicizing toxic exposure and governmental neglect. The evidence is clear. The Balad Burn pit is a Big Bad Burn Pit which burns most anything that comes its way including medical waste, styrofoam, and plastic. Soldiers, contractors, foreign workers, and Iraqis suffer what troops call “Iraqi crud,” whose symptoms include a hacking cough and black phlegm that goes by the name “black goop.” According to Army Times reporter Kelley Kennedy, “Though military officials say there are no known long-term effects from exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 100 service members have come forward to Military Times and Disabled American Veterans with strikingly similar symptoms: chronic bronchitis, asthma, sleep apnea, chronic coughs and allergy-like symptoms. Several also have cited heart problems, lymphoma and leukemia.” Kevin Wilkins, an Air Force reservist, died last year after returning home from a tour of Balad and Qatar; his wife blames the pit. A year after working at Balad as a nurse, Wilkens was admitted to the hospital for a relentless headache and vomiting, symptoms that began in country. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died a week later.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) has taken up the cause. Six years into the war in Iraq, many bases are still without incinerators. In Afghanistan, U.S. bases have no incinerators. General David Petraeus claims the Pentagon is employing more incinerators, but that burn pits go with the territory: “There is and will continue to be a need for burn pits during contingency operations,” Petraeus wrote to Feingold.
Denial and Obfuscation
Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, a spokesman for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, claims the DoD carefully samples air at Balad and other bases with burn pits and all is well. “The bottom line on all of this sampling is that we have not identified anything, where there are troops, where it would have been hazardous to their health,” Kilpatrick said.
Take it from where it comes. Between 1997 and 2002, Michael Kilpatrick directed the Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illness, where his main purpose seemed to be to promote stress — and only stress — as the link between wartime experience and veterans illness. In those five years, he spent $250 “without publishing any medical research report or offering a single treatment program for ill GW veterans,” according to veterans advocate Steve Robinson. According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), Kilpatrick’s fixed position discouraged scientists from applying for grants for research on Gulf War illness, leaving pioneering work, such as that by Dr. Robert Haley, to rely on private funding. Despite compelling finding as early as 1998, that Gulf War illness was caused by brain damage from neurotoxins, Kilpatrick insisted that veterans’ headaches, dizziness, fatigue, bone and joint pain, memory loss, poor concentration, muscle weakness, skin rashes and sores, and gastrointestinal problems, and even amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could be linked only to stress. Since then, Kilpatrick has gone on to use his medical credential to discount the dangers of depleted uranium, hide the DoD’s non-compliance with pre- and post-deployment screening, and obfuscate the facts around distribution of anti-nerve gas pre-treatment pills, a major cause of Gulf War illness. And now he’s whitewashing Balad’s black fumes and “black goop”
The KBR Connection: Will There Be Accountability?
One Georgia man is having none Dr. Kilpatrick’s reassurances. In November, Joshua Eller, a civilian draftman, initiated what he hopes will be a class action suit against contractor KBR and its former parent company, Halliburton, for exposing people at the Balad base to unsafe water, food and hazardous burn pit fumes.
The suit claims that “all across Iraq and … not confined to Balad” KBR provided bathing water that was not disinfected, including according to former KBR employee testimony, water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers that was polluted with sewage. Regularly, KBR served soldiers spoiled, expired and rotten food and used dishes that may have been contaminated with shrapnel. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff suffers from chronic skin lesions, abdominal distress, and nightmares.
KBR dumped medical waste, including needles, bandages, and body parts in the open pit. On one occasion,” the suit states, the plaintiff “witnessed a wild dog running around base with a human arm in its mouth.
Nora Eisenberg is the director of the City University of New York’s fellowship program for emerging scholars. Her short stories, essays and reviews have appeared in such places as The Partisan Review, The Village Voice, The Los Angeles Times and Tikkun. When You Come Home, her new novel, which explores the the 1991 Gulf War and Gulf War illness, will be published this month by Curbstone Press. (Click HERE to read the original article)
Ms Sparky
Other Related Posts From Ms Sparky
- The DoD turns Iraq into toxic waste dump-Updated
- David Isenberg: Supporting the Troops: Making Them Sick
- KBR knowingly exposes soldiers and employees to toxic poison (NBC video)
- Feds look for soldiers likely exposed to toxic chemical in Iraq
- Oregon National Guard soldiers testify on toxic chemical exposure
Saturday, March 21st 2009 at 8:19 pm |
Gulf War II illness anyone? An illness that the DOD. Army, and VA will deny exists. It will be then 10 or 20 years later before veterans get treatment.
Sunday, March 22nd 2009 at 6:10 am |
Navyvet48: As military veterans at least in 10 to 20 years your illnesses will be recognized and treated by the VA. The civilian contractors have 2 years from demob date to file a DBA claim (if they even know about the DBA benefits)or they are SOL. These civilian contractors are exposed to the same toxins as the military.
Just something to think about. . .
Sunday, March 22nd 2009 at 5:44 pm |
From the article: “In Afghanistan, U.S. bases have no incinerators. ”
BS! I know of at least 1 incinerator on Bagram Air Base.
“The suit claims that “all across Iraq and … not confined to Balad” KBR provided bathing water that was not disinfected, including according to former KBR employee testimony, water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers that was polluted with sewage.”
BS- The water is run through a reverse osmosis system. It is practically sterilized.
“Regularly, KBR served soldiers spoiled, expired and rotten food and used dishes that may have been contaminated with shrapnel. ”
More BS and false reporting. The military Preventative Medical Officer is responsible for the inspection of all foodstuffs. The Dining Facilities are manned by military personnel for that purpose.
Ms Eisenberg and this article are full of holes and FOS.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
I can not testify to ALL of Iraq. Only what I know. First, for two years I showered daily in Baghdad City Water!! Not RO water. There was one RO unit in the Green Zone at Camp Prosperity. The rest of the FOB’s and Camps in the Green Zone showered and did laundry in Baghdad City Water. Sometimes it stunk so bad you couldn’t hardly stand to shower. The water was considered non-potable. I brushed my teeth with bottled water. We had dirt that would settle in the toilet. Who knows what diseases and parasites were in that water. I don’t know how many other camps used city water supplies.
My husband is an RO operator. If those RO units are not operated properly, you can get contaminated water out the other side.
I can not testify to weather or not the food was rotten or expired. I was pretty picky about what I ate. If there was an expiration date, I check it. I did get food poisoning numerous times and KBR has received Corrective Action Requests (CAR’s) on the Dining Facilities (DFAC’s)
Every camp seems to be different. It’s like working for a different company and the DoD is inconsistent as well.
Monday, March 23rd 2009 at 6:35 pm |
Jimbo,
Maybe you are not familiar with what happened in FOB Endurance in 2006-2007. It is well documented KBR RO techs supplied the base ‘rejected water’ from the RO units. Water was only chlorinated and used as shower water for the base population. The clean water from the RO’s were used for the DFACs. The rejected chlorinated water was then stored in unclean water storage tanks. Several of the base’s population became ill, skin rashes, lesions, low immune system from this KBR SUPPLIED WATER!!!! Jimbo if you read TB 577 you will find the water used and how it was stored was against Army regulations. Not to mention how KBR failed to test the water adequately…
Jimbo,
Who is paying who to supervise the DFAC for the military? KBR is being paid by the DOD to handle logistics and serve the base’s population safe food. Yes PM is present to inspect and report findings, it’s not the PM’s overal job to supervise what KBR is doing…
There have been reports of convoys being shot at, some of the trucks contained food and food handling equiptment(forks, plates etc)…. In this case of having shrapnel the food and food handling materials should be digarded to prevent any incidences, according to Army regulations. There have been reports of KBR using food handling material after the trucks were shot up…….
Ms Sparky’s Response:
I am glad to see these registries being established to track soldier exposures to chemicals. But you would not believe the number of KBR contractors I have talked to who now have some sort of cancer as well. All since Iraq. Who is tracking KBR’s employees exposure to chemicals, bad, water, bad food etc.
Friday, March 27th 2009 at 8:19 am |
Jimbo,
I completely agree with what Chicago mentions above. I spent the entire year of 2006 at Balad and lived next to the burn pit. I’ve seen the waste burned in their first hand. Also, I was there when they stopped distributing water that was contaminated with feces and other things.
On days when you would have either low winds or high humidity, folks living next the that pit would use fabric dryer sheets as air filters for the heating and air-conditioning units to try and stop the black crud from coming in their living quarters.
The water was definitely contaminated and let’s face it, there are not enough medical folks to ensure quality assurance standards are met. Furthermore, just like every unit in the Army – you know when to expect the inspections to happen and therefore you plan accordingly to PASS the inspection.
I honestly hope, you speak from experience and not someone who hasn’t’ been there and done that because I believe most folks have done their duty and would do it again if asked to. Most have served and simply want someone to be accountable and to receive the proper medical help they require.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
I gree with you. This is all well documented!
Thursday, April 16th 2009 at 11:41 pm |
It is always the same s***! First they say it’s harmless and if the opposite is proven it takes a lot of time before the army admits it.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
There should be a law against that. The Army should be be exempt from Right To Know laws.
Saturday, April 25th 2009 at 4:26 am |
Wow just wow.
I have read the Burn pit articles and seen some of the pictures here. I just cannot believe that this is like this. I guess I was just living with my head in the sand.
What can the “Concerned Taxpayer” do to help support the soldiers, contractors, and any other civilians that this happened too?
I don’t have money, but I have time. Time to contact whomever I must to help. I have seen so many friends I grew up with that went into the military and went to Iraq come back with just unexplained illnesses. I feel I have to do something even if I am just one person.
Please let me know what I can do?
Concerned
Ms Sparky’s Response:
We have to keep talking about it. We have to keep calling our politicians and force them to act. We have to call the DoD to task. Our soldiers are not disposable. Our soldiers are warriors and shall not be treated like trash. Once a soldier has served they should receive lifelong top of the line medical coverage and treatment.
OK-You got me started….go to this site. It was established by Rep. Tim Bishop of NY.
https://sites.google.com/site/burnpits/
I also have a link to it under favorite sites. Keep in mind to that these burn pits also affect contractors…US Citizens. Like my friend Laura who worked at Al Asad, and is now dying of a brain tumor. Coincidence? Maybe.
Thursday, September 10th 2009 at 1:55 pm |
I spent time @ Balad AFB Iraq early 2007. I had to signed all knds of forms about the burn pit and my health prior to leaving. I have had one health issue after another since then. I was on the flight line and the smoke and ashes filled the air most of the time. I left my shift everyday with a nasty film in my mouth and throat and a headache. I am experiencing sinus problems, coughing, headaches and vision problems. I retired Dec 08 – I requested a copy of my medical records. Magically none of the forms from my stay in Balad are there.
Prior to leaving I identified all health issues but now I have no proof.
Saturday, September 26th 2009 at 5:14 pm |
My husband was stationed in Balad the end of 2005 and all of 2006 and was exposed daily to the burn pits. He was diagnosed in 2007 with an unknown, inoperable lesion in his brainstem while in pre-mob to return to Iraq. He now suffers from visual problems, chronic fatigue, migraines, and trouble walking (balance). We wisely kept all his records from Iraq, and all his records since then, and we are now at Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas.
We came here hoping for treatment, but all the Army seems interested in is medically retiring him as fast as possible. We are having a hell of a time proving that his illness has anything to do with his service, even tho he was 100% healthy when he left the United States.
There is a class action lawsuit going aginst KBR and we are in it. I want SOMEONE to acknowledged that they screwed up and be accountable for it!!! This is something that can be potentially fatal and I will not allow my husband or any other soldier to be swept under the rug.
Saturday, November 28th 2009 at 11:12 pm |
Hey guys I am new to this blog, but I was living in the green zone last year 2008 for 6 months before going on vacation and then becoming so ill I could not return… Hearing all the above details makes me feel sick to my stomach because I did use that crappy tap water on occasion to rinse my tooth brush, quickly shave because of all the rocket attacks in the morning sometimes I did not have time to get the palatalized water outside… We’ll I can tell you different because I have neurological, and skin and many other health problems after working in Baghdad, Iraq for only 6 months. I had terrible symptoms from these large plumes of burn pit smoke that mixed with the sand storms and I inhaled it and was coughing up brown gunk for weeks. When I returned for vacation I became so ill I could even work for several months, and spent over 20K in co-pays to try and figure out why my lung had un-calcified nodules, pleura thickening, rashes, night sweats, low grade fevers, vertigo like symptoms, memory loss for almost a year after returning.
I still have inflammation in my right armpit with flank pain, memory loss, and diagnosed with an action tremor?
Monday, November 30th 2009 at 8:19 am |
Mike-I am so lucky to no have come back with anything after drinking Baghdad city water (Tigris River water) for 6 weeks. Burke O’Neil out of DC is doing a class action on the burn pits there is a link to their website in the left sidebar. Please keep me posted.