From: Ian blenkharn@ianblenkharn.com
Category: News & information
Date: 26 Jun 2009
Time: 14:51:46 +0200
Remote Name: 86.134.184.80
The generation of large amounts of hazardous wastes in times of war is a sad inevitability. Front line combatants, and civilians, face the horrors of severe injury or death and most armies will take with them an extensive medical service that includes front line emergency aid supported by more extensive facilities further back in safer areas. It is tempting to speculate that in some cases at least, clinical wastes are managed with the same care and concern as at home. After all, we think of 'our' armies as civilised though think less well of our enemies. So if sharps bins and clinical waste sacks are in use in first aid posts and military field hospitals it is only logical to make sure these are disposed properly.
Not so.
"Lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the 2010 defense authorization bill that would prohibit the military from operating open-air burn pits for more than 12 months during combat operations.
“The Secretary of Defense shall prohibit the disposal of covered waste in an open-air burn pit during a contingency operation lasting longer than one year,” the amendment states.
"That mandate comes after 400 service members have reported to Disabled American Veterans that they believe they are sick because of exposure to the smoke from the pits, despite assurances from Defense Department health officials that there are “no known long-term health effects” associated with the pits.
"The amendment to HR 2647, submitted by Reps. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., and Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., states that the secretary of defense would have one year after enactment to carry out the order. The Pentagon also would have 180 days to submit a report to Congress about the types of waste burned in the pits, as well as the feasibility of using other methods to dispose of waste. "The amendment covers hazardous waste, medical waste and solid waste — including plastic.
"Will Jenkins, a spokesperson for Bishop, said the 12-month mark is a first step toward reducing the use of burn pits in the war zones. The open-air pits have been a feature of almost all U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the wars. Many are kept burning 24 hours a day.
[more]
Personally, I think we should send the Environment Agency 'experts' to these active war zones. After all, they know how important is safe disposal, and seek to ensure that we all comply, though they tend to deal with the issues of regulation from the comfort of a desk, or perhaps from the golf course.
Maybe now is the time for a little more field work?