Medical problems in military personnel associated with burn pit exposure: a narrative review

Military personnel serving in Southwest Asia have had frequent exposure to fumes from burn pits. These pits provide a crude way to eliminate waste, including unused food, chemicals, plastic, etc. These exposures can have toxic effects on the respiratory system and other organ systems. This review will provide an overview of the toxic effects of burn pits on the respiratory system and the health of military personnel.

The PubMed database was searched using the terms military medical, military burn pit AND dyspnea OR deployment OR respirator OR toxicity. All articles used in this review were published in English and after 1980.

Thousands of military personnel have been exposed to burn pits during their service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some of these exposures have resulted in adverse health effects, including new or increased respiratory symptoms. Some service members underwent comprehensive evaluations that included lung biopsies. Fumes from burn pits can damage the epithelial surfaces. The most important factors in this damage include the type of exposure, the temperature of the burn pit, and the duration of exposure.

Exposure to burn pit fumes can have toxic effects on the respiratory system and other organ systems, such as the kidney. This review outlines these concerns and provides resources the reader can use to develop more information or to design studies related to these ideas, or to help manage patients in their military clinics. The military needs to perform longitudinal studies to learn the natural history of these respiratory symptoms.