A bipartisan measure to expand medical coverage for millions of American veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan stalled on Thursday, July 28, after 25 Republican senators who supported the bill last month unexpectedly reversed their stance, according to NPR.
The move prevented the legislation from reaching the desk of President Joe Biden. The bill already passed in the House, and a previous version was passed in the Senate last month before a few changes were made. Proponents of the bipartisan measure were surprised that the current version did not sail through again.
Military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq disposed of waste from around 2010 to 2015 by dumping it in a pit and setting it on fire in the open air. Many U.S. veterans attribute health problems that arose later, such as respiratory illness and cancer, to exposure to chemicals released into the air via these fires.
Smoke from burn pits carried harmful substances
The smoke carried a range of harmful substances, including benzene, hydrocarbons, dioxins, lead, mercury, and volatile organic compounds. David Savitz, an epidemiology professor at the Brown University School of Public Health, said that those who were deployed at bases where burn pits were used had exposure to agents that are known to be harmful.
The measure would have expanded health care access to more than 3.5 million U.S. veterans exposed to toxins while serving in the American military after September 11, 2001. The legislation also would have added 23 illnesses, including several cancers, to the list of conditions eligible for federal health care coverage, according to the Military Times.
The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, also known as the PACT Act, was named after an American veteran who attributed lung cancer to burn pit exposure. Robinson died of his illness back in 2020.
Savitz and other experts said burning waste the way the U.S. military did in Iraq and Afghanistan could certainly raise the risk of disease, but more research is needed to know if the conditions veterans are reporting were directly caused by the said burn pits. That being said, they believe veterans should be able to get the care they seek.
Burn pits were located near barracks in Iraq and Afghanistan
Steven Coughlin, an epidemiology professor at Augusta University, said they would hopefully get back on track. He added that the legislation was very important for providing health benefits for veterans coming down with these types of pulmonary diseases and a presumptive diagnosis of rare cancer and providing care for them.
Savitz told NBC News that burn pits started gradually getting replaced by incinerators around 2010 but the military set fire to all manner of waste in the open air before that. He said they were burning everything they had, from the garbage, the food waste, the medical waste, and water bottles.
Coughlin added that the list included heavy metals, vehicle parts, plastics, and cardboard. He explained that burn pits were frequently located near barracks, so combatants often breathed this crud daily with substantial exposure.
