CNN reporting (yet again) on the story that just won’t quit.  And rightfully so!

This time the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking notice of the health concerns caused by the Balad, Iraq “burn pit”:

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will study the effects of toxic emissions from burning trash at military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan on veterans, even after the Department of Defense has concluded no long-term effects exist.

[...]

Shinseki said the Department of Veterans Affairs will study the problem as part of an effort to analyze effects of troops’ exposures in general and suggested it might even seek a parallel independent study.

“We are currently evaluating the need for an independent assessment by nongovernmental scientific experts to help us understand the health effects of various combat exposures,” Shinseki wrote.

Sources familiar with the plan said the VA is finalizing a deal with the government’s Institute of Medicine to conduct the study. The IOM did a similar investigation of Gulf War Syndrome and other effects from the first Iraq war.

The emissions, from what are known as burn pits, have been a concern for troops, especially those who served at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq. Many soldiers who went through Balad became used to “Iraqi crud,” as they dubbed the symptom of excessive coughing and black phlegm.

Soldiers complained of respiratory problems and skin infections, and in some cases believed they developed leukemia and tumors from the exposure.

The pits at Balad were at one point open and burning everything from plastics and food to medical waste, sometimes with jet fuel used as an accelerant. In later years, incinerators were installed at Balad, but other bases in Iraq and Afghanistan still use the pits without incinerators to burn garbage.

The military said last year that smoke from the Balad pit exposed troops to toxic emissions, including low levels of cancer-causing dioxins. However, its tests indicated there is no long-term danger, officials said.

The military says the “Iraqi crud” is not harmeful.  The soldiers say otherwise.  I have a feeling the VA will have the final word on it.

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