‘Informed Rant’: Toxic ‘Burn Pits’ Poisoned American Veterans
As we honor our veterans this Friday, listen to this episode of Joshua Scheer's podcast, in which he speaks with author and former Marine Joseph Hickman.
This Friday, the nation pauses to honor those who have served in our military. In a timely episode of “Informed Rant,” the podcast of Joshua Scheer, Scheer speaks with Joseph Hickman. Hickman, a former marine, is also the author of “The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America’s Soldiers.”
A “burn pit” refers to “a common way to get rid of waste at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan” by igniting piles of (often hazardous) waste. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs writes that “[t]oxins in burn pit smoke may affect the skin, eyes, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal tract and internal organs.”
Unlike other types of toxic warfare, “burn pits” are not started by the enemy, but by American military contractors. “People don’t realize how much trash war accumulates,” Hickman says. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is harmful.”
Listen to the full interview below:
—Posted by Emma Niles
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Wounds of War
Remembering the day that a war designed never to end began.
Global Voices
Crisscrossed by heroin transit routes from neighboring Afghanistan, the country’s youth confront a growing opioid epidemic.
Courts & Law
UN special rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin noted that the US treatment of detainees was “cruel, inhuman and degrading.”
Middle East
Amid a severe drought, Afghan scientists are asking the international community to engage with the brutal new regime.
The much-awaited US-Taliban agreement could finally end the longest U.S. war, but an end to violence is not assured.
President Trump may have surrendered to the Taliban, but as Truthdig columnist Danny Sjursen notes, that may not amount to the end of the conflict.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.