The VA is urging Veterans that served in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations to complete an online survey and report any concerns or symptoms that they may be experiencing as a result of airborne hazards from burn pit exposure during active duty in that region.
According to the report, as of December 9, 2016, 95,593 Veterans and service members have registered. However, there are an estimated 3 million Veterans and service members eligible to join the registry.
As discussed in my August 2016 blog, Senator Tillis and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced The Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act, which would create a center of excellence within the VA in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health conditions relating to exposure to burn pits.
In the most recent report on data from the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit (AH&OBP) Registry, the most commonly reported provider-diagnosed health conditions included allergies, asthma, and high blood pressure. A majority of the registry participants also reported concerns about insomnia and neurological problems. Other conditions, such as constrictive bronchiolitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, coronary artery disease, and cancer, were less common.
Interestingly, the most common health conditions associated with those exposed to burn pits and dust storms were asthma, high blood pressure, chronic multi-symptom illness and insomnia.
Any Veteran or service member that served after August 1990 in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations is still encouraged to register. This region includes the following locations: Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea, and the airspace above these regions.
Below is a summary of the health-related symptoms and percentage of those registered through 2015:
Respiratory Conditions
Burn Pit Exposure
- 30% of the participants reported having ever been diagnosed by a health care provider with a respiratory condition other than allergies to pollen, dust, or animals. 16% reported that they were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, or emphysema and 15% reported that they were diagnosed with asthma.
- Participants who worked at burn pits were more likely to report COPD, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema than those who did not. Specifically, 17% of those whose duties included a burn pit reported COPD, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema compared to 13% of those with exposure but no duties and 11% of those with no exposure.
Dust Storm Exposure
- Of the respiratory conditions examined, asthma and a history of COPD, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema were associated with exposure to dust storms. The prevalence of asthma was 14% in the low and moderate exposure groups and 18% in the high-exposure group. 12% of those in the low-exposure group reported COPD, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema compared to 15% in the moderate- and 21% in the high-exposure group.
Cardiovascular Conditions
Burn Pit Exposure
- 40% of the participants reported having ever been diagnosed by a health care provider with a cardiovascular condition. The most common cardiovascular condition was high blood pressure (36%).
Dust Storm Exposure
- Similarly, reported exposure to dust storms was related to high blood pressure. 32% percent of the low-exposure group reported a diagnosis of high blood pressure, compared to 36 percent of the moderate-exposure group and 40% of the high-exposure group.
Other Health Conditions and Concerns
Burn Pit Exposure
- A liver condition was more prevalent among those exposed to burn pits. Specifically, 8% of those whose duties involved burn pits reported a liver condition compared to 6% of those exposed but without duties and 4% of those with no exposure.
- 21% of participants whose duties involved burn pits, 14 percent of those with exposure but no duties and 14% of those with no exposure reported having a chronic multi-symptom illness.
- Insomnia was more prevalent among those exposed to burn pits. Specifically, 86% of those with burn pit duties reported insomnia compared to 73% of those with exposure but no duties and 66% of those with no exposure.
- Neurological problems were reported by 79% of those with burn pit duties, 64% of those with exposure but no duties, and 60% of those with no exposure.
- Finally, immune system problems were reported by 25% of those with duties, 17% of those who were exposed without duties, and 14% of those who were not exposed.
Dust Storm Exposure
- A reported diagnosis of chronic multi-symptom illness in the past 12 months was more common in the high-exposure group (26%) than in the low-exposure group (14%).
- The high-exposure group was more likely than the low-exposure group to report insomnia (88% versus 74%), neurological problems (81% versus 67%), and immune system problems (30% versus 16%) in the past 12 months.