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Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to engage in a colloquy with the distinguished ranking member of the subcommittee.
As many of our colleagues know, thousands of men and women from our Armed Forces have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with a variety of service-connected illnesses and complications caused by exposure to the noxious fumes of open-air burn pits and other airborne hazards.
There is a growing body of research about the disabling effects of burn pit exposure that confirms that such exposure is the cause of serious illnesses, including various cancers that have killed veterans and have left countless others seriously ill.
Leading researchers in this area, including Dr. Anthony Szema of Stony Brook University's School of Medicine in my district, are discovering clear evidence that fumes from burn pits have sickened the personnel deployed in their vicinity.
While their precise numbers remain unknown, it is estimated that up to 30,000 Active Duty servicemembers and veterans might be suffering as a result of their exposure to burn pits. We must learn from past mistakes to stop open-air burn pit exposure before such exposure becomes the agent orange for this generation of veterans.
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Mr. BISHOP of New York. I thank the gentleman for his response and his leadership. I also thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his leadership, and I look forward to working with them on this issue.
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