Burn pits have received significant attention for the potential health risks associated with working on overseas military installations. However, open-air waste burning is only one potential source of hazardous airborne exposure. Civilian contractors may work around fuel vapors, vehicle exhaust, construction dust, industrial chemicals, smoke from fires, and airborne contaminants released when buildings or equipment are damaged.
For contractors who spent months or years working overseas, these exposures may be easy to overlook. Some occur as part of everyday operations, while others result from accidents or hostile events. Understanding the different sources of potentially harmful air contaminants can be important when unexplained respiratory or other health problems develop during or after an overseas assignment.
Vehicle and Generator Exhaust
Military installations rely heavily on trucks, construction equipment, aircraft support vehicles, and generators. In locations with limited permanent electrical infrastructure, diesel generators may operate continuously.
Exhaust from diesel engines contains gases and fine particles that can affect air quality, particularly around congested work areas or locations with poor ventilation. Workers repeatedly exposed to exhaust may experience irritation of the eyes and respiratory system, headaches, coughing, or other symptoms.
The circumstances of exposure, including its duration and concentration, can be important when evaluating potential health effects.
Fuel Vapors and Petroleum Products
Fuel is present throughout many military installations. Aircraft, ground vehicles, generators, and heavy equipment require large quantities of petroleum products, creating opportunities for contractors to encounter fuel vapors during storage, transportation, maintenance, and fueling operations.
Short-term exposure to certain petroleum vapors may cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and respiratory irritation. Spills or leaks can create more concentrated exposures, especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.
Contractors involved in fuel handling should make sure significant exposures and resulting symptoms are documented.
Construction and Demolition Dust
Military bases frequently undergo construction, expansion, renovation, and repair. These activities can generate substantial amounts of airborne dust.
Demolition work can be especially concerning because older buildings may contain materials that release hazardous particles when disturbed. Depending on the structure and materials involved, workers could encounter silica-containing dust, asbestos fibers, or other contaminants.
Contractors do not necessarily have to perform the demolition themselves to be exposed. Dust can travel into nearby work areas and affect employees performing unrelated duties.
Sand and Fine Airborne Particles
Environmental conditions can also affect air quality. Contractors stationed in desert regions may regularly encounter blowing sand and fine particulate matter, particularly during dust storms.
These particles can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Contractors with asthma or other respiratory conditions may notice that symptoms become more difficult to manage in dusty environments.
When combined with exhaust, construction activity, smoke, and other pollution sources, environmental dust can contribute to a complex mixture of airborne exposures.
Smoke From Fires and Hostile Attacks
Fires can occur following equipment failures, vehicle accidents, fuel incidents, or attacks on military installations. Missile and drone strikes may also damage buildings, vehicles, storage facilities, and other infrastructure.
When these materials burn, smoke may contain numerous combustion products depending on what was damaged. Contractors responding to emergencies, repairing infrastructure, or working nearby may inhale smoke and particles even if they were not directly involved in the original incident.
Respiratory symptoms following a fire or hostile attack should not automatically be dismissed simply because there was no visible physical injury.
Industrial Chemicals and Maintenance Operations
Civilian contractors perform extensive maintenance work on overseas bases. Cleaning agents, solvents, paints, coatings, adhesives, degreasers, and other chemicals may be used in aircraft maintenance, vehicle repair, construction, and facility operations.
Some products release vapors that can irritate the respiratory system or cause other symptoms when ventilation or protective measures are inadequate.
A contractor experiencing symptoms after a particular chemical exposure should provide medical professionals with as much information as possible about the substance and circumstances involved.
Airborne Hazards Can Overlap
One of the challenges of evaluating overseas toxic exposure is that contractors may encounter several potential hazards at the same time.
A worker could spend years breathing desert dust while also being exposed to diesel exhaust, construction activity, fuel vapors, and periodic smoke from fires. This makes it difficult to identify a single substance as the source of later health problems.
A detailed occupational history can therefore be extremely important. Physicians need to understand where the contractor worked, what duties were performed, and what environmental conditions were present.
Symptoms May Develop After Returning Home
Not every occupational illness becomes apparent during deployment. Some contractors experience coughing, wheezing, headaches, sinus problems, or shortness of breath while overseas. Others may not recognize persistent health problems until after returning home.
When symptoms develop later, contractors should tell their healthcare providers about their overseas employment and potential environmental exposures. Without that information, physicians may not initially consider occupational factors when evaluating the condition.
Medical testing and specialist evaluations may be appropriate depending on the symptoms involved.
Toxic Exposure and the Defense Base Act
The Defense Base Act can apply to more than injuries caused by sudden workplace accidents. Qualifying occupational diseases connected to covered overseas employment may also give rise to claims.
Toxic exposure cases can be complicated because establishing a connection between an illness and conditions encountered years earlier may require extensive medical and employment evidence. Medical records, diagnostic testing, employment history, exposure information, and physician opinions can all become important.
Contractors should not assume that an illness is excluded simply because it developed gradually rather than following a single accident.
Looking Beyond Burn Pit Exposure
Burn pits remain an important concern for many former overseas contractors, but they are not the only potential source of hazardous air exposure on military installations. Exhaust, fuel vapors, construction dust, industrial chemicals, environmental particulates, and smoke from fires or attacks may all contribute to the conditions contractors encounter during their employment.
When persistent symptoms develop, providing healthcare professionals with a complete history of overseas working conditions can help them evaluate potential causes and determine appropriate treatment.
For more information about Defense Base Act claims involving occupational illness and toxic exposure during overseas employment, contact Barnett, Lerner, Karsen, Zobec, P.A..
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Each Defense Base Act claim is unique. For advice specific to your situation, consult a qualified attorney.