“The Defense Department’s slow reaction has exposed another generation of veterans to the exact same carcinogens found in Agent Orange,” Feingold said.
The military also does not sample burn-pit emissions as required by its own regulations, the report said.
“The health impacts of burn-pit exposure on individuals are not well understood, mainly because the military does not collect required data on emissions or exposures,” it said.
Contrary to initial military claims that there are no known long-term health effects from the burn pits, GAO found that long-term health implications cannot be ruled out.
VA officials told GAO that no one is tracking veterans who have been exposed to burn pits. However, the Naval Health Research Center plans a study of birth outcomes, respiratory symptoms, chronic multi-symptom illness, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in people exposed to burn pits at Joint Base Balad, Coalition Operating Base Speicher and Camp Taji.
The GAO recommends that the military:
• Create comprehensive guidance for managing burn pits.
• Review current operations.
• Monitor the burn pits to make sure they follow regulations.
• Analyze the waste stream to see how it could be reduced.
• Expand recycling efforts.
• Analyze the costs of long-term health effects.
Feingold said he plans to create legislation to ban burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No comments:
Post a Comment