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REPORT: AKAKA WANTS DoD AND VA TO REVIEW WAR-ZONE

TOXINS -- Army Times reports Senate Vets' Chair wants

answers on burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Story below:

Your comments accepted at bottom of page.

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by Larry Scott

In Balad, Iraq there's been a burn pit where there should have been an incinerator.

What goes into the burn pit?  Everything.

Now, Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Senate Vets' Committee Chair, wants answers.

In a story in the Army Times, Akaka is reported to have written the following to DoD and the VA:

"Reports of possible exposure to smoke from burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan have come to the committee’s attention...Concerns about such exposure would appear to be an ideal opportunity for focused efforts to track the location of service members in relation to the possible exposure sites...I would appreciate learning how DoD identifies and monitors locations where possible exposure to smoke from fire pits in Iraq and Afghanistan may have occurred, what steps DoD is taking to identify those service members who may have been exposed to such hazards, how information on exposures is transmitted to VA, and what policies and procedures VA has in place to ensure that relevant information is used to the adjudication of potential disability claims."

 

The complete story in the Army Times is here...
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/mili
tary_akaka_burnpits_120108w/

The story contains backlinks to other stories about this environmental hazard.

How long has DoD known of this hazard?

Too long.

For more details, you can read a memo from Air Force Lt. Col. Darrin L. Curtis, Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Commander.

That memo is available for viewing or download here...

Expect to hear much more about the burn pits and the health effects on our troops.

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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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