{"id":61272,"date":"2022-03-29T14:25:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T14:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/03\/29\/what-are-military-burn-pits-and-why-are-veterans-worried-about-them\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:28:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:28:38","slug":"what-are-military-burn-pits-and-why-are-veterans-worried-about-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/03\/29\/what-are-military-burn-pits-and-why-are-veterans-worried-about-them\/","title":{"rendered":"What are military burn pits? And why are veterans worried about them?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Burn pits<\/a> are well-known within the military community, but the reasons for using them and the dangers that accompany them are less familiar to the American public. With the topic gaining prominence in recent months, here\u2019s a look at the issues surrounding burn pits and the help veterans could receive in dealing with their effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are burn pits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Until the mid-2010s,<\/a> burn pits were commonly used in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas locations to dispose of waste collected on military bases. That included items that produced dangerous toxic smoke when burned, such as plastics, rubber, chemical mixtures and medical waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some locations, the fires were massive operations. At Joint Base Balad<\/a> \u2014 one of the largest military bases in Iraq \u2014 the burn pit covered nearly 10 acres, with the resulting smoke passing over the entire base as winds shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n