For military veterans, burn pit coverage is this generation’s Agent Orange coverage. For years, the VA denied that this defoliant caused health problems. Finally, the VA conceded what seemed logical all the time, which was that the toxic substance that killed plant cells in Southeast Asia also killed human cells in the people who handled this chemical. Yet even today, Agent Orange coverage doesn’t automatically apply to all veterans and all Agent Orange-related conditions.
Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Global War on Terror veterans did not wait as long for burn pit coverage, but they waited longer than they should have waited. These open-air waste disposal pits, which were commonly used in Iraq and Afghanistan, produced thick smoke laced with toxic particles that caused health problems for anyone exposed to it. These health problems include brain cancer, an illness that claimed the life of the President’s son Beau, who served as a JAG officer in Iraq.
Private military contractors didn’t wait as long as military veterans for burn pit coverage. In the 2010s, the Labor Department, which oversees the Defense Base Act, concluded that burn pit smoke caused DRLD (deployment-related lung diseases), an umbrella term that covered a variety of lung diseases. The new PACT Act makes it easier for a Defense Base Act lawyer to obtain compensation for many other burn pit-related conditions. If a presumption applies, a deployment-related connection applies as well.
Asthma
Mild asthma is, well, mild. A combination of daily medication and emergency inhaler use typically controls this condition. Severe asthma is different. Available medication cannot control strong, consistent symptoms. AT best, medication enabled these victims to get out of bed.
Chronic Bronchitis
CB is a lung disease normally associated with cigarette smoking. Toxic particles, which in this case are the toxic particles in burn pit smoke, inflame the bronchi (breathing passageways). This inflammation causes a number of issues, such as excessive mucus production. In addition to a deployment-related connection, these victims must prove that they have a cough and mucus most days for at least three months a year, for at least two years in a row. Furthermore, a doctor must rule out other possible causes of these symptoms, such as tuberculosis or other lung diseases.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
COPD is very similar to CB. The lungs get damaged or clogged with phlegm. Symptoms include cough, sometimes with phlegm, difficulty breathing, wheezing, and tiredness. Smoking and air pollution are the most common causes of COPD. Additionally, people with COPD are at higher risk of other health problems. COPD is not curable, but symptoms can improve if one avoids smoking and exposure to air pollution and gets vaccines to prevent infections. It can also be treated with medicines, oxygen, and pulmonary rehabilitation.
Obstructive or Constrictive Bronchiolitis
OB is a serious lung disease that is rare in younger people who are in overall good health (a/k/a military contractors). This type of bronchiolitis refers to bronchiolar inflammation with submucosal peribronchial fibrosis associated with luminal stenosis and occlusions. It is also not an inflammation-related condition. The condition is characterized by concentric luminal narrowing of the membranous and respiratory bronchioles. In plain English, toxic particles block airways.
Emphysema
Emphysema is a lung disease. The main cause of emphysema is smoking, but other causes include air pollution and chemical fumes. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, and fatigue. A blockage (obstruction) may develop, which traps air inside your lungs. If you have too much air trapped in your lungs, your chest may appear fuller or have a barrel-chested appearance. With fewer alveoli, less oxygen moves into your bloodstream.
Granulomatous Disease
Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) is completely unlike the aforementioned lung diseases. It’s basically an autoimmune disease commonly described as a series of recurrent life-threatening infections. Defective phagocyte NADPH oxidase causes the disease. The ultimate result is the inability of phagocytes, such as neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages, to destroy certain microbes.
Interstitial Lung Diseases
Interstitial lung disease refers to a group of about 100 chronic lung disorders characterized by inflammation and scarring that make it hard for the lungs to get enough oxygen. The scarring is called pulmonary fibrosis.
Fibrosis leads to permanent loss of your lung tissue’s ability to carry oxygen. The air sacs, as well as the lung tissue around the air sacs and the lung capillaries, are destroyed when the scar tissue forms. The disease may run a gradual course or a rapid course. People who have it may notice variations in symptoms, from mild to moderate to severe. The condition may stay the same for a long time or it may change quickly. The course of the disease is unpredictable. If it progresses, the lung tissue thickens and becomes stiff, making breathing more difficult.
Pleuritis
The pleura, a pair of large, thin layers of tissue that separate your lungs from your chest wall, becomes inflamed. Also called pleurisy, the disease causes sharp chest pain (pleuritic pain) that worsens during breathing.
One pleural layer of tissue wraps around the outside of the lungs. The other pleural layer lines the inner chest wall. Between these two layers is a small space (pleural space) that’s usually filled with a very small amount of liquid. These layers act like two pieces of smooth satin sliding past each other, allowing your lungs to expand and contract when you breathe.
If you have pleurisy, these tissues swell and become inflamed. As a result, the two layers of the pleural lining rub against each other like two pieces of sandpaper.
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease where there is scarring of the lungs (fibrosis) which makes it difficult to breathe. This is because the scarring causes the tissues in the lungs to get thick and stiff and makes it hard to absorb oxygen into the bloodstream.
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis is a condition that causes your immune system to overreact and make lumps or nodules called granulomas. Depending on location and size, granulomas can cause mild to severe symptoms or no symptoms at all. In some cases, they can turn into fibrosis, causing permanent lung scarring.
For more information about DBA benefits, contact Barnett, Lerner, Karsen, Frankel & Castro, P.A.