Open Pit Burning

yobow1

New Member
[FONT=&quot]Hello everyone. I just joined today and would like to ask a question, but a little background first. I came across an article on Yahoo news about “open pit burning” on military bases in Iraq. As a contractor I was at Camp Bondsteel/Kosovo in 2002 for 5 months. In the first month, I got sick with some sort of respiratory illness; they called it the “Kosovo crud”. I had a fever and coughed uncontrollably. I was miserable for a week and missed many workdays. I eventually came out of it and continued my work there. After the tour there, I returned to my home in San Diego where over the next few years I would develop bouts of uncontrollable coughing; I also ran a mild fever. I would cough so much and so forcefully that I would get cramps and feel like I was choking or unable to breath. This occurred at least once a year. Once, when I was in London attending a class on project management, I again developed a respiratory condition. This went on for most of the week. I finally was able to see my respiratory doctor only to be told I had pleurisy (pneumonia). I accepted a job in Germany. Over the past few years there, I have had more bouts with respiratory conditions. I believe that open pit burning caused my condition. I remember smoke coming from the open pit and the smell of burned plastic and chemicals. Sometimes were worse than others. I’d like to find out if anyone else, working or stationed at Camp Bondsteel, has respiratory problems? If this can happen in Iraq, it can happen elsewhere. Thanks for reading this and I hope to hear from some of you.[/FONT]
 
Hello yobow1. I was also at Camp Bondsteel in 2002 for 3 months. I also got sick with a respiratory ailment while I was there. Missed days of work with a high fever and had a hard time breathing. They called it the flu. After returning to Germany and consequently the states I had multiple bouts of "Chronic Bronchitis" over the years following. Finally in 2005 I was diagnosed with asthma. Today and every day I take medicine for this in the morning and at night. It is controlled today but it took nearly 5 years to get this under control. I was active duty then and have since retired but work as a DoD civilian. I am on disability from this condition. I always wondered if anyone else suffered from the acrid smoke that drifted over Bondsteel from the burn site.
 
Open pits

I was at Camp bondsteel October 2002 as a track vehicle mechanic, and as soon as I got and pulling duty among the pit barrels and pits my lungs started to fill with fluids. Two weeks later I started to get bronchitis and a month went by and I had full blowin pneumonia along with a condition known as pluraicy where my lung filled with so much fluid, that they were rubbing against my ribs causing me to cough blood. A doctor there admitted me into the hospital on base and kept me for a few days to manually drain the fluid per tubes. Afterwards I was started on six bags of iv antiboditics for a week. Then I was separated from the army under a medical. Since then the VA has rated me for COPD and epeseama, I have to take three inhalers a day
 
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