Lung Problems Found in Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans

[tekisui]

Source: Reuters

Shortness of breath and reduced fitness among some military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may be caused by lung damage from smoke, sandstorms and toxins, a new study suggests.

Researchers who performed lung biopsies on 38 veterans with unexplained breathing problems found a form of tissue damage -- called constrictive bronchiolitis -- that is rare in young adults and doesn't show up in standard tests.

In all but one case, a "lacy black pigment" also coated the delicate lung surfaces.

Dr. Robert Miller of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center said the cases, which he has been gathering for years, are apparently caused by exposure to airborne toxins during deployment.

more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/us-veterans-idUSTRE76J78720110721

[JCMach1]

1. Otherwise known as dust and diesel... If you have been in the hot, crowded cities of the middle east

and Asia, you know exactly what this is.

I didn't have asthma until I moved here.

[w8liftinglady]

2. My kid tells me this is his one big concern

He knows a lot of vets that were in Iraq in 2003-2005 who are getting sick.

never forget- "The Burn Pits of Balad".