US soldiers in Middle East diganosed with rare chronic lung disease - toxic exposures suspected

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http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/NEWS07/307210030/Rare-lung-disease-diagnosed-soldiers?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

Rare lung disease diagnosed in soldiers
Nashville doctors try to pinpoint cause
5:32 AM, Jul. 21, 2011 | 10Comments

Jimmy Williams didn’t realize his military service might be the reason for his breathing problems when he retired from the U.S. Army in 2007 after two tours in Iraq.

He thought he was simply out of shape. “I was really tired all the time, wore out,” he said. “I was just feeling run down, gasping for air. I could hardly mow my yard.”

Williams now knows he suffers from constrictive bronchiolitis, a rare condition that cannot be diagnosed with X-rays or pulmonary function tests. A team of Tennessee researchers discovered scarring inside the small airways of his lungs and those of other soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Their findings, published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, could help veterans prove disabilities stemming from their war service.

more at about link....

Contact Tom Wilemon at 615-726-5961 or twilemon@tennessean.com.

[Emily]

Re: US soldiers in Middle East diganosed with rare chronic lung disease - toxic exposures suspected

I don't see how exposure to the fumes from burning toxic waste could not play a big part in the cases exposed. In Vietnam some garbage was burned but not the toxic items being burned now in the Iraq and Afghanistan. It's wrong to be doing this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-...stRecentReview

For me it turned out that breathing in burning batteries, tires, plastic and medical waste in Afghanistan may not have been in my best interests.

[Emily]

Re: US soldiers in Middle East diganosed with rare chronic lung disease - toxic exposures suspected

http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/06/research-ignored-in-mystery-illnesses/

Research Ignored in Mystery Illnesses

June 26, 2011 ? Ben Krause

The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs claims mounting evidence is inconclusive, that Middle East tours to Iraq and Afghanistan cause 10?s of thousands of cases of permanent respiratory injuries. While they acknowledge that there is a problem, they claim the injuries are usually temporary.

Try saying that to New York veteran Gary Durham. Prior to his 2003 deployment, Durham was running 6-minute miles. During and after his deployment to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division, he noticed a significant decline in his endurance. Now, he can?t even mow the lawn without wheezing, 8 years later.

Thousands of veterans are having similar problems. According to the Millennium Cohort Study, veterans who were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are much more likely to develop breathing problems than their non-deployed counterparts. 14 percent of all deployed veterans will develop some sort of significant breathing problem.

[snip]
Note: Once Dr. Miller reached his conclusion, the Army stopped referring sick soldiers to his practice.

Editors Note: DisabledVeterans.org is compiling database of stories from veterans suffering from these symptoms as a reference point for this illnesses. Veterans believing they suffer from this illness are asked to contact

DisabledVeterans.org.

Read more: http://militaryadvantage.military.co...#ixzz1T6j3wFaU MilitaryAdvantage.Military.com

[Emily]

Re: US soldiers in Middle East diganosed with rare chronic lung disease - toxic exposures suspected

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/...aspx?id=202996

Legal Battle for Recognition

Hundreds of troops are returning home with mysterious symptoms. Rosie Torres' husband is one of those troops looking for answers and help from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sick soldiers: Symptoms exist but the diagnosis unclear
by Kelly Gustafsonand Kristen Kellar
March 08, 2012
[snip]
When Torres lost both of his jobs ? he was a captain in the Army Reserve and a Texas state trooper ? because of his ailments, his wife made the march to Washington. There, she fought to create a national registry that could link long-term health problems with burn pits in the future.

?We need to make every legislator aware of our cause. These soldiers are from every state,? Torres said. ?I think what people fail to realize is invisible wounds aren?t just PTSD, it?s toxic exposure, too.?...