{"id":74410,"date":"2025-07-21T18:32:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T18:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/07\/21\/research-offers-link-between-burn-pit-smoke-and-serious-brain-injuries\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:01:13","slug":"research-offers-link-between-burn-pit-smoke-and-serious-brain-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2025\/07\/21\/research-offers-link-between-burn-pit-smoke-and-serious-brain-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Research offers link between burn pit smoke and serious brain injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new medical study of military toxic exposure symptoms set to be published this month indicates that individuals who served around dangerous burn pit smoke<\/a> may face a greater risk of mental health and brain trauma issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research<\/a>, conducted by the National Institutes of Health in conjunction with the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs, analyzed the health records of nearly 440,000 troops who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001 to 2011. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings show higher rates of depression, mood disorders<\/a>, intracranial injuries and traumatic brain damage among troops stationed near toxic burn pits<\/a>, giant waste fires used to dispose of a host of office and war zone surplus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers said the likelihood of injury increased as service members spent more time around the chemical-laden smoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe wide array of toxic chemicals released during uncontrolled combustion in these pits may include chemicals that have deleterious neurobehavioral effects,\u201d they wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\t