The Veterans Disability Nexus

E255 - The Science Behind Burn Pit Exposure in Veterans

Published: May 19, 2026

Duration: 10:08

Burn pit exposure has become one of the most widely discussed environmental health concerns affecting veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other deployment locations. These open-air burn pits were commonly used to dispose of waste, creating complex airborne mixtures of smoke, particulate matter, and combustion byproducts.

In this episode, we explore the science behind burn pit exposure and how it may affect the health of veterans. We discuss the types of materials that were burned, the potential toxic substances produced during combustion, and how inhaled particles can impact the respiratory system and other parts of the...