U.S. military faulted for burn-pit use

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-military-faulted-for-burn-pit-use/2013/04/25/30f1a906-ad1f-11e2-a8e6-b6e4cc7c49d1_story.html



Courtesy of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction - This image was taken at Forward Operating Base Salerno, in the east, where the U.S. military spent $5 million on incinerators that never became operational. Instead, officials there have used open air burn pits that are prohibited by the Pentagon.

U.S. military faulted for burn-pit use
By Ernesto Londoño, Published: April 25

The U.S. military spent $5 million on incinerators at a base in Afghanistan that were never used, forcing troops to rely on a type of open-air burn pit that has been linked to serious respiratory problems among veterans, according to a government report released Thursday.

The Pentagon banned burn pits at large war-zone bases after facing a flurry of lawsuits and health claims by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were exposed to toxic fumes during deployments. The pits are used to burn everything from cafeteria waste to feces.

The case of the inoperable incinerators at Forward Operating Base Salerno in eastern Afghanistan, detailed in the inspector general report, sheds light on the continued challenges of waste disposal in combat zones and the stark choices that commanders in Afghanistan are having to make as the U.S. military footprint continues to contract.

~snip~

The two incinerators are rusting atop pillars in a bilge pit that has filled with stagnant water because it was built without a drainage pipe. Auditors say it could become a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.