Tens of thousands of enlisted men and women sent to Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11 have been exposed on a daily basis to lethal gases emanating from so-called "burn pits" spread across both war zones. These deep dump sites have been filled with everything from jet fuel to paint, human waste, chemicals, trash, and body parts. Enormous black plumes are seen rising non-stop from these toxic areas in close proximity to military bases. In Gregory W. Lovett’s shocking documentary, veterans describe chronic health issues faced while on active duty: burning eyes, respiratory problems, skin rashes (one vet recalls being endlessly coated in ash). It’s no surprise that many veterans who lived through that exposure are terribly ill today, suffering from debilitating cancers or other ravages. Because no studies were done correlating the burn pits with human health concerns, no scientific evidence links the two, which allows the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Administration to ignore claims of illness resulting from burn pit exposure. Some of the doctors and other experts interviewed here liken the situation to the U.S. government’s decades-long denial that Agent Orange—a toxic chemical defoliant used by America in Vietnam—caused grievous harm to soldiers (and the Vietnamese people). The burn pits turn out to be the handiwork of KBR, a notorious subsidiary of Halliburton, which was awarded millions in government contracts to perform practical tasks in war areas. The documentary persuasively claims that KBR was paid to dispose of refuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, and did so as cheaply as possible, leaving the costs of related healthcare to others. A maddening exposé, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Delay, Deny, Hope You Die
(2018) 52 min. DVD: $59.95 ($250 w/PPR from edu.passionriver.com). Passion River (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 5
Delay, Deny, Hope You Die
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