Hi my name is Bennett Garfinkel and I’m the medical legal researcher and legal assistant
to lead attorney Brian Wiklendt here at the Maitland offices of Garfinkel Schwartz.
We also have another office on the Space Coast in Florida in Titusville as well.
I’m talking to you today about environmental exposures that quite a few contractors and
veterans have been exposed to while serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense while setting up the bases in Afghanistan and Iraq did not
think things through.
They didn’t on average each soldier or contractor produces about ten pounds of waste a day and
when you have a very large contingent of soldiers or contractors on any base, the waste can
get out of hand.
So the DOD decided to burn all the trash.
Not in incinerators but in open air burn pits.
You’ve probably seen or heard about these burn pits and are familiar with the plumes
of toxic black smoke that come out.
And exposure to these toxic black smokes can cause quite a few health problems.
While the DOD officially denies it, quite a bit of research recently has come out that
shows a strong, strong link between these burn pits, the environmental exposure to the
smoke and respiratory, cardiovascular diseases and also cancer.
Quite a few individuals have come back home only to be diagnosed with severe respiratory
problems, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, being winded far too easily, chronic
fatigue, all of these may be signs that you were exposed to toxic chemicals from burn
pits.
A very common and extreme condition, irreversible I might add that a lot of contractors and
veterans have been diagnosed with since coming home after exposure to burn pits on large
bases is Constrictive Bronchialitis.
Now how the lungs work is they have a lot of tiny little pockets inside the lungs that
allow oxygen to get inside the bloodstream.
What happens with this black smoke full of toxic chemicals is that they actually clog
up these tiny little oxygen pores called alveoli and when these little oxygen pores can’t
get oxygen into the blood, the whole body is not oxygenated.
You feel constantly short of breath, you can’t breathe, you feel fatigue, it’s a real terrifying
condition, a lot of people feel like they’re being suffocated, it’s it’s terrible.
And if you feel that you’ve had exposure to these toxic chemicals, one of the only
ways to be diagnosed with this condition is to go to a pulmonary specialist and actually
get a biopsy of the lung.
Normally for lung diseases you’re going to get X-rays or CT scans but with Chronic
Bronchialitis, you actually have to look at it through a microscope.
It’s very difficult to diagnose and it’s very rare.
But one of the telltale signs is that you were an otherwise a healthy individual.
You went to one of our bases in Iraq or Iran or Afghanistan or one of our bases in Africa
to do contract work or if you were exposed as a veteran.
And all of a sudden you develop asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD.
Symptoms like these can also be indicative of Constrictive Bronchialitis the irreversible
and sometimes fatal illness caused by exposure to these burn pits.
Now if you think you may have any of these symptoms, it would be a great idea to talk
to a doctor or to call our offices.
We have a lot of medical resources.
That’s my job here I research, I find physicians, I make sure appointments are set, I make sure
that our clients know exactly what’s going on.
If it’s possible they could possibly get compensation for medical illnesses which is
what our firm exclusively deals with contractors that are injured overseas, exposed to environmental
toxins or possibly get PTSD from their experiences: Their medical care and their lost wages are
covered here by our firm.
We feel here at Garfinkel Schwartz that your job isn’t to fight these insurance companies
that have seemingly endless resources and numerous lawyers to deny your claim.
Remember, they make their money by not giving you your medical care and we feel that that’s
just ethically wrong and that’s our job here is to help you guys.
So if you’re sick and you’re feeling these really terrifying shortness of breath, suffocation
or chronic fatigue, it’s our job to get you the best medical care possible to get
that medical care compensated, and to make sure your family is comfortable in a lifestyle
that you’re accustomed to.
So again, my name is Bennett Garfinkel I’m here talking to you about environmental exposures
to dangerous toxins that are common in bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, for contractors and
veterans exposed to these burn pits.
So if you are familiar with these plumes of black smoke, remember that there’s many,
many toxic chemicals in there that can cause severe respiratory illnesses.
And I’m coming to you today from the Maitland office of Garfinkel Schwartz, our law firm
deals exclusively with the contractors and the Defense Base Act Law.
We also have another office in Titusville, Florida.
I really appreciate you listening to me today and I really hope that you can get you some
help.
Thank you.