Open-Air Burn Pits Bagram Air Field-ChemWeaponKillingUSAMilitary

[USA_kat]

Posted By Founder/[e-mail] Daniel Tijerina

Open-Air Burn Pits Make You Sick

22 May 2012

The last time I went to Bagram Air Field was August 2010. (I hope it’s the last time I ever go there.)

And it absolutely stunk — an acrid, bitter smell that wafted from a distance beyond my line of sight. It took maybe three or four days before Bagram’s air left so much residue in my lungs that I was hacking up nasty, discolored phlegm; coughing constantly; sleeping miserably; and sometimes getting nauseous.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/bagram-health-risk/

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/dangerroom/…/KSCN0007a.jpg

[Virginia Foulk]

My youngest daughter lost her husband because of toxic dumps in Iraq. He was in the Military Police and his area was the toxic dumps of Iraq. Because our Congress refused to provide working face masks (Wis. Senator Tammy Baldwin was one who voted against that protection.)

When he came home, he started having several undiagnosed problems, breathing, pains, eye problems. Later, he received letters from the VA that actually described his symptoms, but no one took him seriously, until they found cancer in his lungs and kidneys. He died 5 years ago. . 

So this is serious and there must be a way to stop it.

[Debra Beatty]

Thanks for the information.

[Virginia Foulk]

If anyone has the time - I have found the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses' book. This was originally sent to my son-in-law. Dated Sept., 2004.  (I marked 1 by all of the symptoms that Chris suffered, for many months, before his Dr. stepped in. (His DR. Believes that all of this lowered his immune system so that his body became weak and cancer took over.)

 

Don't know if it is still out on the web but perhaps. www.va.gov/RAC-GWVI but here is what they used on the booklet. It is 105 pages, not including the 25 pages of abreviations and references.

Anyway, here are some of the symptoms listed that affected those who fought in the Gulf war.

Symptoms                       Gulf War Veterans    Non-Gulf War Veterans                         

1 Headache (migraines)          54/%                             37% 

1 Joint Pain                              45%                              27%

  Fatigue                                  38%                              15%

  Depressed                             36%                              22%

1 Difficulty concentrating          35%                              13%

1 Muscle pain                           33%                              17%

  Diarrhea                                31%                              15%

  Skin Rash                              29%                              13%

1 Coughing                               24%                              14%

1 Shortness of Breath              24%                               11%

  Hair Loss                               23%                               12%

  Abdominal pain                     23%                               12%

1 Dizziness                               22%                               10%

  Difficulty with speech             10%                                3%

  Burning Semen                       7%                                 1%

  "As shown, individual symptoms experienced by gulf War Veterans are not unique in that they are also reported by veterans in non-Gulf comparison groups, albeit at lower rates.   The observation that veterans who did not serve in the Gulf War report symptoms is not unexpected, since it has long been known that some level of symptomatology is found in any population group. (178,352) But Gulf War veterans report symptoms in patterns that are distinct from other veterans and from the general population.  (262,287) Specifically, Gulf War veterans experience a greater number of symptoms than comparison groups, more severe symptoms than comparison groups, and are more likely to report multiple different types of symptoms simultaneously. (85,285)  In contrast to the occasional headache or digestive problem or joint pains that might afflict anyone  from time to time, it is not uncommon for Gulf War veterans to experience severe headaches and joint pain and chronic diarrhea all at the same time, perhaps in connection with dizziness, memory problems, fatigue, and skin rashes, and for these problems to have persisted over many years."  

I only chose this page because of the symptoms, but there is much more that need to be brought up.

Nerve agents such as sarin and cyclosarin and pesticides were also encountered by the veterans. And pyridostigmine bromide, used as a preventive measure against nerve agent soman.  The research also found that ALS was much greater in Gulf War veterans. Also;

With diseases of long latency, particularly cancer but also some neurological diseases, any effect of exposure in the Gulf War is not likely to become apparent for at least 10 years after deployment.  

There is so much more information, one thing that bothers me?

"Progress in understanding Gulf War veterans' illnesses has been hindered by lack of coordination and availability of data resources maintained by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs."

Not being well versed in anything relating to drugs, and such, most of this is hard to follow. The only stuff I really understood was the symptoms, and some of the descriptions of illnesses - mostly because of what Chris had to endure..

[M]

Source;

Here is a list of references you can use to check up on other chemicals our veterans are or can be exposed to. For full article see http://www.nap.edu/read/13026/chapter/5 ;

TABLE 3-1 Major Herbicides Used in Operation Ranch Hand, 1962–1971

Code Name	Formulation	Amount Sprayed in Vietnam, liters	Period of Use	TCDD Concentration
Green	2,4,5-T	75,920	1962–1964	65.6 ppm
Pink	2,4,5-T	273,520	1962–1964	65.6 ppm
Purple	2,4-D, 2,4,5-T	2,594,800	1962–1964	Up to 45 ppm
Blue	Cacodylic acid (4.7%), sodium cacodylate (26.4%)	6,100,640	1962–1971	None
Orange I, Orange II	2,4-D (50%), 2,4,5-T (50%)	43,332,640	1965–1970	0.05–50 ppm (average, 1.98–2.99 ppm)
White	2,4-D (39.6%), picloram (10.2%)	21,798,400	1965–1971	None
SOURCE: Young (2009).

TABLE 3-2 Examples of Adverse Health Effects Associated with Chemical Exposure

Chemical	Use Category	Adverse Health Effecta
Polychlorinated biphenylsb	Insulation	Cancer
Trichloroethylenec	Degreaser	Cancer
Mercuryd	Explosives, disinfectants, batteries	Peripheral neuropathy
Benzenee	Component of jet and other fuels, combustion product, cigarette smoke	Leukemia
Phosgenec	Welding	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Asbestosb	Insulation, cement pipe, sealants, plasters	Cancer, pulmonary disease, asbestosis
Hydraulic fluidsc	Machinery lubricants	Nervous system effects
Leadb	Paint, cable and wire, plastics, pastes, caulks	Neuropathy
Hydrazinef	Electroplating, soldering, boiler water	Neurotoxicity
aLong-term adverse health effects from Haz-Map Database, National Library of Medicine. bNavy Occupational Safety and Health Program Manual for Forces Afloat. Volume I. SOH and Major Hazard-Specific Programs (Department of the Navy, 2002). cTrichloroethylene factsheet. Available at:http://www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/downloads/ep/factsheets/tce.pdf(accessed January 19, 2011). dNavy Occupational Safety and Health Program Manual for Forces Afloat. Volume II. Surface Ship Safety Standards (Department of the Navy, 2007). eBenzene factsheet: Available at:http://www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/downloads/ep/factsheets/benzene.pdf(accessed January 19, 2011). fNavy MIL-H-24776: Hydrazine Test Kit, Naval Shipboard. 1992. Available at:http://engineers.ihs.com/document/abstract/NCSWDAAAAAAAAAAA(accessed January 19, 2011).

determining long-term adverse health effects of chemicals like those shown inTable 3-2, it is generally presumed that a person was exposed to a single chemical. However, in practice, personnel aboard naval vessels were exposed to a complex mixture of environmental contaminants. 

REFERENCES

ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry). 1995. Public health statement for fuel oils. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=514&tid=91(accessed February 15, 2011).

ATSDR. 2003. Public health statement for malathion.http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=520&tid=92 (accessed February 15, 2011).

Baldini, D. 2009. Memorandum for record: Joint Services Records Research Center statement on research findings regarding Navy and Coast Guard ships during the Vietnam era. Alexandria, VA: Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center. May 1.

Brent, R. E., D. E. Rollins, D. P. Duffy, and M. C. Gregory. 1985. Standardized treatment of severe methanol poisoning with ethanol and hemodialysis.Western Journal of Medicine 142(3):337-340.

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Suggested Citation: "3 SELECTED CHEMICALS USED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR." Institute of Medicine. Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2011. doi:10.17226/13026

×

Buckingham, W. A. 1983. Operation Ranch Hand: Herbicides in Southeast Asia. Air University Review, July-August. 12 pgs.http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1983/jul-... (accessed October 18, 2010).

Cecil, P. F., and A. L. Young. 2008. Operation FLYSWATTER: A war within a war.Environmental Science and Pollution Research 15(1): 3-7.

Darrow, R. A. 1969. Report of trip to Republic of Vietnam, 15 August-2 September 1969. Department of the Army.

Department of the Army. 1981. Table, all MACV fixed wing aircraft herbicide incidents, 15 October 1981. Alexandria, VA: Department of the Army, Office of the Adjutant General.

Department of the Navy. 2002. Navy Occupational Safety and Health Programmanual for forces afloat. Volume I. SOH and Major Hazard-Specific Programs. OPNAV Instruction 5100.19E. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Department of the Navy. 2007. Navy Occupational Safety and Health Programmanual for forces afloat. Volume II. Surface Ship Safety Standards. OPNAV Instruction 5100.19E. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). 1979. Decision and emergency ordersuspending registration for the forest, rights-of-way, and pasture uses of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). Washington, DC: Office of Pesticide Programs.

EPA. 2005. Reregistration eligibility decision for 2,4-D. Washington, DC: Office of Pesticide Programs.

Goud, S. N., and A. M. Kaplan. 1999. Inhibition of natural killer cell activity in mice treated with tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 56:131-144.

Hoffmann, D. , and I. Hoffmann. 1997. The changing cigarette 1950-1995. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 50:307-364.

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 1994. Veterans and Agent Orange: Health effects of herbicides used in Vietnam. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

IOM. 2003. Characterizing exposure of veterans to Agent Orange and otherherbicides used in Vietnam. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

IOM. 2008. The utility of proximity-based herbicide exposure assessment inepidemiologic studies of Vietnam veterans. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Kang, H. K., N. A. Dalager, L. L. Needham, D. G. Patterson, G. M. Matanoski, S. Kanchanaraksa, and P. S. J. Lees. 2001. US Army Chemical Corps Vietnam Veterans Health Study: Preliminary results. Chemosphere 43:943-949.

Marolda, E. J. 1994. By sea, air, and land: An illustrated history of the U.S. Navy and the war in Southeast Asia. Washington: Naval Historical Center.

Page 59

Suggested Citation: "3 SELECTED CHEMICALS USED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR." Institute of Medicine. Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2011. doi:10.17226/13026

×

NAS (National Academy of Sciences). 1974. The effects of herbicides in SouthVietnam. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.

Piacitelli, L., D. Marlow, M. Fingerhut, K. Steenland, and M. H. Sweeney. 2000. A retrospective job exposure matrix for estimating exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachloredibenzo-p-dioxin. American Journal of Industrial Medicine38(1):28-39.

Somers, E. 1987. Modulation of response: Environmental factors. In Methods for Assessing the Effects of Mixtures of Chemicals, edited by V. B. Vouk, G. C. Butler, A. C. Upton, D. V. Parke and S. C. Asher. Chichester, UK: Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE 30).http://globalecology.stanford.edu/SCOPE/SCOPE_30/SCOPE_30.html(accessed December 14, 2010).

Stellman, J. M., S. D. Stellman, R. Christian, T. Weber, and C. Tomasallo. 2003. The extent and patterns of usage of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam.Nature 422(6933):681-687.

Still, K. R., D. P. Arfsten, W. W. Jederberg, L. V. Kane, and B. J. Larcom. 2003. Estimation of the health risks associated with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations found onboard older U.S. Navy vessels. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 18(10):737-758.

Young, A. L. 2009. The history, use, disposition and environmental fate of Agent Orange: New York, NY: Springer.

Young, A. L., P. E. Cecil, and J. F. Guilmartin. 2004a. Assessing possible exposures of ground troops to Agent Orange during the Vietnam war: The use of contemporary military records. Environmental Science and Pollution Research11(6):349-358.

Young, A. L., J. P. Giesy, P. D. Jones, and M. Newton. 2004b. Environmental fate and bioavailability of Agent Orange and its associated dioxin during the Vietnam War. [Review] [82 refs]. Environmental Science & Pollution Research11(6):359-370.

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Suggested Citation: "3 SELECTED CHEMICALS USED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR." Institute of Medicine. Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2011. doi:10.17226/13026

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[M]

The majority of the chemicals are still held in storage by the military, but not all are being used at this time. Some have even been banned and supposedly have been properly destroyed.

[Virginia Foulk]

Thank you for the follow up. And do you really believe that the chemicals are not being used and are stored? I have my doubts.