[CPEO-MEF] GLOBAL, DISPOSAL: Open pit burning in Afghanistan and Iraq

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Afghanistan and Iraq: DOD Should Improve Adherence to Its Guidance on 
Open Pit Burning and Solid Waste Management

Governmental Accountability Office
GAO-11-63 October 15, 2010
For the original summary and a link to the full report, go to
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-63

Summary

From the start of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. 
military and its contractors have burned solid waste in open burn pits 
on or near military bases. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), 
burn pit emissions can potentially harm human health. U.S. Central 
Command (CENTCOM) guidance directs the military's use of burn pits, and 
the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) provides healthcare and other 
benefits to veterans and their families. GAO was asked to report on the 
(1) extent of open pit burning in Afghanistan and Iraq, and whether the 
military has followed its guidance; (2) alternatives to burn pits, and 
whether the military has examined them; and (3) extent of efforts to 
monitor air quality and potential health impacts. GAO visited four burn 
pits in Iraq, reviewed DOD data on burn pits, and consulted DOD and VA 
officials and other experts. GAO was unable to visit burn pits in 
Afghanistan.

The military has relied heavily on open pit burning in both conflicts, 
and operators of burn pits have not always followed relevant guidance to 
protect servicemembers from exposure to harmful emissions. According to 
DOD, U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq generate about 10 
pounds of solid waste per soldier each day. The military has relied on 
open pit burning to dispose of this waste mainly because of its 
expedience. In August 2010, CENTCOM estimated there were 251 burn pits 
in Afghanistan and 22 in Iraq. CENTCOM officials said the number of burn 
pits is increasing in Afghanistan and decreasing in Iraq, which reflects 
U.S. troop reallocations and efforts to install waste incinerators. 
Despite its reliance on burn pits, CENTCOM did not issue comprehensive 
burn pit guidance until 2009. Furthermore, to varying degrees, operators 
of burn pits at four bases GAO visited in Iraq were not complying with 
key elements of this guidance, such as restrictions on the burning of 
items, including plastic, that produce harmful emissions. DOD officials 
also said that, from the start of each conflict, operators routinely 
burned items that are now prohibited. The continued burning of 
prohibited items has resulted from a number of factors, including the 
constraints of combat operations, resource limitations, and contracts 
with burn pit operators that do not reflect current guidance. Waste 
management alternatives could decrease the reliance on and exposure to 
burn pits, but DOD has been slow to implement alternatives or fully 
evaluate their benefits and costs, such as avoided future costs of 
potential health effects. Various DOD guidance documents discourage 
long-term use of burn pits, encourage the use of incinerators and 
landfills, or encourage waste minimization such as source reduction. DOD 
has installed 39 solid waste incinerators in Iraq and 20 in Afghanistan, 
and plans to install additional incinerators in Afghanistan. To date, 
source reduction practices have not been widely implemented in either 
country and recycling consists primarily of large scrap metals. DOD 
plans to increase recycling at its bases in Iraq, but recycling at bases 
in Afghanistan has been limited. Further, DOD has not fully analyzed its 
waste stream in either country and lacks the information to decrease the 
toxicity of its waste stream and enhance waste minimization. U.S. Forces 
in Afghanistan and Iraq do not sample or monitor burn pit emissions as 
provided by a key CENTCOM regulation, and the health impacts of burn pit 
exposure on individuals are not well understood, partly because the 
military does not collect required data on emissions or exposures from 
burn pits. Army public health officials have, however, sampled the 
ambient air at bases in each conflict and found high levels of particle 
pollution that causes health problems but is not unique to burn pits. 
These officials identified logistical and other challenges in monitoring 
burn pit emissions, and U.S. Forces have yet to establish pollutant 
monitoring systems. DOD and VA have commissioned studies to enhance 
their understanding of burn pit emissions, but the lack of data on 
emissions specific to burn pits and related exposures limit efforts to 
characterize potential health impacts on service personnel, contractors, 
and host-country nationals. Among other things, GAO recommends that the 
Secretary of Defense improve DOD's adherence to relevant guidance on 
burn pit operations and waste management, and analyze alternatives to 
its current practices. In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD said 
that it concurred with five of the six recommendations and partially 
concurred with the sixth. GAO addressed a DOD suggestion to clarify the 
sixth recommendation. VA reviewed the draft report and had no comments.


Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below .... Status will 
change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - 
not implemented" based on our follow up work.

...

Recommendations for Executive Action

Recommendation: To help DOD decrease environmental health risks to 
service personnel, contractors, and host country nationals, the 
Secretary of Defense should direct U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq 
to comprehensively implement relevant guidance related to burn pit 
management and operations.

Agency Affected: Department of Defense

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response 
to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: To help DOD decrease environmental health risks to 
service personnel, contractors, and host country nationals, the 
Secretary of Defense should direct U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq 
to review and update contracts for burn pit operations to ensure that 
they reflect the most recent guidance.

Agency Affected: Department of Defense

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response 
to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: To help DOD decrease environmental health risks to 
service personnel, contractors, and host country nationals, the 
Secretary of Defense should direct U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq 
to monitor burn pits in accordance with current guidance or, if current 
guidance needs revision or is insufficient, direct CENTCOM to consult 
with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other relevant parties 
to revise or develop the necessary guidance.

Agency Affected: Department of Defense

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response 
to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: To help DOD decrease environmental health risks to 
service personnel, contractors, and host country nationals, the 
Secretary of Defense should direct U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq 
to analyze the waste stream generated by U.S. forces in each conflict 
and seek to identify opportunities for using materials that are less 
hazardous when burned and strategies for minimizing waste.

Agency Affected: Department of Defense

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response 
to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: To help DOD decrease environmental health risks to 
service personnel, contractors, and host country nationals, the 
Secretary of Defense should direct U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq 
to improve their adherence to guidance on solid waste management 
practices and further pursue waste prevention through the re-use and 
recycling of materials.

Agency Affected: Department of Defense

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response 
to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: To help DOD decrease environmental health risks to 
service personnel, contractors, and host country nationals, the 
Secretary of Defense should direct U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq 
to analyze the relative merits--including the benefits and costs--of 
alternatives to open pit burning, taking into account important 
considerations such as feasibility and the potential health effects of 
open pit burning.

Agency Affected: Department of Defense

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response 
to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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