Healing veterans: Understanding the long-term effects of burn pit exposure

20-Minute Health Talk

Exposure to the smoke from burn pits — the large open-air fires the military has used to dispose of waste — harmed veterans such as Juan Serrano, Patrick McCaffery and Robert Auletta, who work with Northwell Health's Military Liaison Services. Of the more than 10K U.S. veterans who have already been diagnosed with burn pit damage to their airways, the picture is grim and the reaction, most often, is shock. Conditions range from asthma and COPD, to sleep apnea, to a long list of cancers.

On this episode, Juan Patrick and Robert talk about their experience and efforts in addressing burn pit exposure. They’re joined by Anthony Szema, MD, a pulmonologist and leading expert on burn pits; Dr. Szema is director of Northwell’s International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences. He has launched a clinical trial that monitors the health of veterans with burn pit exposure. (Many of the veterans on Juan’s team have already signed up.) Explaining his goals for the trial, Dr. Szema also provides an update on the PACT Act, new legislation he played a key role in getting passed; it expands VA benefits to care for veterans with burn pit exposure. To further assist veterans, Juan, Dr. Szema and staff at the Military Liaison Office are helping service members sign up for the PACT Act.

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