Carey Russell: Defense Dept. lacks understanding of burn pits’ long-term effects on vets

After Agent Orange and Gulf War syndrome, the next set of maladies affecting service members is shaping up to be burn pits, toxic fires used to get rid of waste...

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First it was Agent Orange, then Gulf War syndrome. The next set of maladies affecting service members is shaping up to be burn pits, toxic fires used to get rid of waste materials during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Defense Department was supposed to use risk management to mitigate the possible ill-effects on soldiers and marines. But DoD has big gaps in its understanding of the effects of burn pits. Carey Russell, the director of defense capabilities and management issues at the Government Accountability Office, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more.

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    Wearing a mask to protect his second double lung transplant, West Virginia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. William Thompson, who served two tours in Iraq and said he was exposed to environmental hazards and burn pits while there, listens to a panel at a House Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee hearing on potential health effects of burn pit exposure among veterans, Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Washington. From left on the panel are Veterans of Foreign Wars Associate Legislative Director Kenneth Wiseman, left, Veterans Health Administration Office of Patient Care Services Chief Consultant for Post-Deployment Health Ralph Erickson, and VA New Jersey Health Care System War Related Illness and Injury Study Center and Airborne Hazards Center of Excellence Director Drew Helmer.

    Carey Russell: Defense Dept. lacks understanding of burn pits’ long-term effects on vets

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