For military veterans, burn pit injuries are this generation’s Agent Orange injuries. During the Vietnam War, the Air Force sprayed chemical defoliant on Southeast Asian jungles to thin the Viet Cong’s cover. For some reason, no one thought that the same chemical that killed organic plant cells might also harm organic human cells. Despite the passage of new laws, many Agent Orange victims and survivors still have not received VA benefits. Along the same line, despite the known dangers of smoke inhalation, the DoD believed that toxic burn pit smoke was harmless. Despite new laws, many disabled burn pit veterans still have not received benefits.
The story is different for private military contractors. Several years before the pandemic, the Department of Labor added deployment-related lung disease to the list of Defense Base Act-covered conditions. This 1941 law replaces lost wages and pays medical expenses when private military contractors are injured overseas. Although benefits are available for the following burn pit-related conditions, only a Defense Base Act lawyer can obtain maximum compensation for these victims.
Chronic Sinusitis
This respiratory disease causes the spaces inside the nose and head, called sinuses, to become inflamed and swollen. The condition is normally disabling for at least three months, even with treatment.
This common condition keeps mucus from draining. It makes the nose stuffy. Breathing through the nose might be hard. The area around the eyes might feel swollen or tender.
Infection, growths in the sinuses, called nasal polyps, and swelling of the lining of the sinuses might all be part of chronic sinusitis. At best, polyps permanently impair the sense of smell and inhibit breathing. At worst, polyps are carcinogenic.
Chronic Rhinitis
Much like chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinitis is a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the nasal passages, resulting in a runny nose, nasal congestion, and other symptoms. In severe cases, it leads to crusting, bleeding, and a foul-smelling discharge. Because this disease is usually environmental, it is difficult to diagnose. Most victims do not have apparent risk factors.
Various treatments are available. They include:
- Avoiding allergens and triggers,
- Using a cool-mist humidifier,
- Practicing nasal irrigation,
- Using decongestants, and
- Undergoing cryotherapy, a minimally invasive procedure that freezes nerves in the nose that cause the mucous membrane to swell.
Acute rhinitis is similar to chronic rhinitis, but it’s short-term and usually caused by infections like the common cold. Acute rhinitis usually clears up on its own or with antibiotics, while chronic rhinitis requires ongoing treatment.
Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), also known as glioblastoma, is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor that originates from glial cells in the brain and spinal cord. It is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, accounting for over 15% of all primary brain tumors. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion, memory loss, personality changes, vision changes, speech difficulties, balance or coordination problems, muscle weakness, reduced sensation of touch, and seizures.
Standard surgical, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments often effectively address brain cancers like GM. HOwever, the overall glioblastoma survival rate is under two years.
GBM cells grow and multiply quickly, invading and destroying healthy surrounding tissue
GBM is difficult to treat because the tumor mixes with normal brain tissue. There is no known cure, but medical professionals can manage the condition to improve symptoms.
Neck Cancer
Throat cancer impairs speaking, eating, and breathing, three of the most vital bodily functions. Environmental and occupational factors, like burn pit smoke on an overseas private military contractor deployment, usually causes neck cancer.
If a squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck spreads, it almost always does so locally and/or to the lymph nodes in the neck. Sometimes, cancerous squamous cells can be found in the lymph nodes of the upper neck when there is no evidence of cancer in other parts of the head and neck, possibly because the original primary tumor is too small. When this happens, the cancer is called metastatic squamous cell carcinoma with unknown (occult) primary.
Lung, Bronchus, Trachea, or Other Respiratory Cancer
This disease may be the most common burn pit effect. Toxic particles lodge in the lungs and alter cellular DNA. This alteration causes cells to multiple too fast and also extends cell life. The combination creates an unhealthy clump of cells that siphon nutrients from other parts of the body to survive.
Lung cancer treatment depends on which type of lung cancer you have, how far it has spread, your overall health, and other factors. Treatments for small cell lung cancer include:
- Surgery,
- Chemotherapy,
- Radiation therapy,
- Immunotherapy, and
- Laser therapy, which uses a laser beam to kill cancer cells.
Endoscopic stent placement is available in some cases. An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument used to look at tissues inside the body. It may be used to put in a device called a stent. The stent helps to open an airway that has been blocked by abnormal tissue.
Treatments for non-small cell lung cancer may include the ones mentioned above, as well as:
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which uses a medicine and a certain type of laser light to kill cancer cells,
- Cryosurgery, which uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue, and
- Electrocautery, a treatment that uses a probe or needle heated by an electric current to destroy abnormal tissue.
These treatments are significantly more effective today than they were in the 1990s, if doctors get a head start.
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Gastrointestinal cancer refers to malignant conditions of the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) and accessory organs of digestion, including the esophagus, stomach, biliary system, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus. The symptoms relate to the organ affected and can include obstruction (leading to difficulty swallowing or defecating), abnormal bleeding or other associated problems.
Diagnosis often requires endoscopy, followed by biopsy of suspicious tissue. Treatment depends on the location of the tumor, as well as the type of cancer cell and whether it has invaded other tissues or spread elsewhere. These factors also determine the prognosis.
Reproductive Cancer
Reproductive cancers, also known as gynecologic cancers, are cancers that develop in a woman’s reproductive organs. The five main types of gynecologic cancer are:
- Cervical cancer (lower part of the uterus that extends into the vagina),
- Ovarian cancer (which produce eggs and female hormones),
- Uterine cancer (where a baby grows during pregnancy),
- Vaginal cancer,
- Vulvar cancer, and
- Fallopian tube cancer (rare type of gynecologic cancer that affects the fallopian tubes).
Each type of gynecologic cancer has its own signs and symptoms, risk factors, and prevention strategies.
For more information about burn pit illnesses, contact Barnett, Lerner, Karsen, Frankel & Castro, P.A.