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Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry

In 2014, the Department of Veterans Affairs developed the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registrygoes to registry site to better understand the potential health effects of exposure to airborne hazards during military service, support ongoing research, and inform future decisions around airborne hazards to keep service members and veterans healthy and safe.

The VA recently redesigned the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry based on both service members’ and veterans’ feedback, as well as reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the VA Inspector General’s Office. The redesign automatically enrolls eligible service members and veterans in the registry.

Learn more about airborne hazardsgoes to VA website.

Eligibility

VA determines eligibility for the registry based on deployment information from the Department of Defense. Service members and veterans who deployed to the Southwest Asia theater of operations, Egypt, or Somalia, from August 2, 1990, to August 31, 2021, or in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, or Yemen, from September 11, 2001, to August 31, 2021, are eligible and may have been automatically enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry.

These regions include the following countries, bodies of water, and the airspace above these locations:

  • Afghanistan
  • Bahrain
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Gulf of Aden,
  • Gulf of Oman
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Somalia
  • Syria
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Uzbekistan
  • Yemen
  • Waters of the:
    • Arabian Sea
    • Persian Gulf
    • Red Sea

To learn more, visit Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registrygoes to VA website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility and Enrollment

A

If you were deployed in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, Egypt, or Somalia from August 2, 1990, to August 31, 2021, OR in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, or Yemen, from September 11, 2001, to August 31, 2021, you are eligible and may have been automatically enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. These regions include the following countries, bodies of water, and the airspace above these locations: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and the waters of the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea.

A

Eligible service members and veterans are now automatically included and data from military databases are automatically integrated into the registry. VA will send an email confirming your auto-enrollment in the registry. If you do not receive a notification email you may still have been automatically enrolled. To check, please go to the VET-HOME site at https://vethome.va.gov/inquiry and select “Registry Eligibility” from the “Topic” dropdown menu. Then select “Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit” from the “Registries” dropdown menu.

Inclusion of your data supports VA research efforts, and in turn, enables informed care and benefits for your fellow soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines. However, service members and veterans may opt out of the registry by going to https://vethome.va.gov/BurnPitRegistryOptOut and submitting an opt out inquiry.

General Information 

A

The registry is a database of health information that will help the Department of Veterans Affairs collect, analyze, and publish data on health conditions that may be related to environmental exposures experienced during deployment.

In June 2014, Public Law 112-260, as described in the Federal Register, mandated VA create an Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. The requirement was established to help put data to work for service members and veterans through research about potential health effects of burn pit exposure and other airborne hazards.

A

Airborne hazards can be any number of airborne environmental contaminants that may cause short- and long-term health effects to exposed individuals. Examples of airborne hazards include burn pit smoke, oil well fire smoke, sand, dust, and particulate matter.

A

DOD defines an open burn pit as an area of land used for the open-air combustion of trash and other solid waste products. The use of open burn pits, or open-air burn pits, was a common waste disposal practice at military sites outside of the U.S. such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A

Service members contact your local military hospital or clinic to schedule an appointment. Veterans and inactive/separated National Guard members and Reservists may contact their local VA Environmental Health Coordinator to schedule an appointment.

If you are experiencing any urgent symptoms, you should go to the nearest emergency room, call 911, or contact your primary care manager for instructions.

A

Yes. The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry was developed by VA for both service members and veterans. While the registry is owned and managed by VA, DOD works closely with VA to support ongoing exposure research and policy.

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Last Updated: October 28, 2024
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