From Texas Public Radio:
In late May, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to help veterans exposed to open-air burn pits. It would create a state registry of health and exposure information and use it for outreach purposes. Now, advocates and state officials are wondering how — if at all — they’ll share that information with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
For more than a decade, veterans have been sounding the alarm. They say they’re getting sick with issues that affect all areas of the body: breathing problems, nervous system disorders, skin issues and rare cancers, among others.
While their symptoms are scattershot, sufferers say the common factor is burn pit exposure. That is living or working close to the open-air sites where the military burned trash.