Former VA Scientist Tells Congress of Ethics Concerns

Dr. Steven S. Coughlin, Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology, Emory University testified before Congress last week concerning his ethical concerns over on going VA research.

"For the past 4 ½ years, I was a senior epidemiologist in the Office of Public Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In December 2012, I resigned my position in the US Civil Service because of serious ethical concerns that I am here to testify about today.

"The Office of Public Health conducts large studies of the health of American veterans. However, if the studies produce results that do not support OPH’s unwritten policy, they do not release them. This applies to data regarding adverse health consequences of environmental exposures, such as burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and toxic exposures in the Gulf War. On the rare occasions when embarrasing study results are released, data are manipulated to make them unintelligible.

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• Researcher says officials covered up vets' health data (usatoday.com)
• VA to Study Long-Term Consequences of Burn Pit Exposures (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)

CBS News Highlights Health Issues for Returning Vets Suffering From Burn Exposures

A mysterious illness is afflicting veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a crippling lung disease that targets soldiers assigned to work near burn pits. One wife of a stricken soldier is watching her husband suffer and fighting the battle he no longer can.

Click here to see the CBS News video report.

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• VA to Study Long-Term Consequences of Burn Pit Exposures (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)
• Burn Pit Registry - New Law Was Advocated by Ill Veterans (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
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Court Dismissed Burn Pit Lawsuits

Update: On Feb. 27, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed the burn pit lawsuits that were consolidated in In re KBR Inc. Burn Pit Litigation.

VA to Study Long-Term Consequences of Burn Pit Exposures

The Veterans Administration has just announced  (78 FR 23, 2/4/13) that it will study the long-term health consequences of exposure to burn pit and a rock in Afghanistan. The study of adverse effects related to military deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, highlights the increased concern to burn pit exposures that occurred in those regions.

This action follows the publication of the October 31, 2011 report of the Institute of Medicine  (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) which recommended additional studies concerning the potential long-term health consequences of exposure to burn pit in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Burn Pit Registry For Veterans Signed Into Law

"President Obama signed legislation Thursday requiring the Veterans Affairs Department to establish a registry for troops and veterans who lived and worked near open-air burn pits used to dispose waste in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas."

Click here to read the entire article: Burn-pit registry for veterans signed into law (Marine Times)

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• 'This generation's Agent Orange:' New registry to tally, track burn pit illnesses among vets (usnews.nbcnews.com)
• President Obama Signs Burn Pit Law, FOX2 Exposed (fox2now.com)
• United States Sues Houston-based KBR and Kuwaiti Subcontractor for False Claims on Contracts to House American Troops in Iraq (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)
• Burn Pit Registry Bill Passes US Senate Unanimously (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)

Burn Pit Registry Bill Passes US Senate Unanimously

United States Sues Houston-based KBR and Kuwaiti Subcontractor for False Claims on Contracts to House American Troops in Iraq

The United States has filed a civil complaint against Kellogg, Brown & Root Services Inc. (KBR) and First Kuwaiti Trading Company for submitting inflated claims for the delivery and installation of trailers to house troops in Iraq, the Justice Department announced today.  KBR is headquartered in Houston.  First Kuwaiti, a KBR subcontractor, is based in Kuwait. 

KBR is the Army’s primary contractor for logistical support in Iraq.  On Dec. 14, 2001, t he Army awarded KBR the LOGCAP III contract, the third generation of contracts under the Army’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) since the program’s inception in the 1980s.  LOGCAP III required KBR to provide logistical support in the military theater whenever and wherever it was needed.  Support included services such as transportation, dining services, facilities management, maintenance and living accommodations for United States and coalition forces.  LOGCAP III was originally awarded to Brown and Root Services, a division of KBR.  The United States has paid KBR tens of billions of dollars for logistical support services since awarding the contract.