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• Posted January 15, 2026

Burn Pits Loaded Veterans' Lungs With Carbon, Study Says

Exposure to open-air burn pits during post-9/11 military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan likely caused lung damage in some U.S. veterans, a new study says.

Veterans with deployment-related lung disease had higher levels of carbon-based particles in their lungs compared to healthy controls, researchers recently wrote in the journal Scientific Reports.

These heavy loads of carbon particles are strongly associated with reported exposure to burn pit smoke, researchers said.

“Burn pits were widely used during post-9/11 military operations, yet linking specific inhalational exposures to long-term lung disease has been challenging,” said senior researcher Dr. Cecile Rose, an occupational pulmonologist at National Jewish Health in Denver.

“This study provides objective, tissue-based evidence that burn pit smoke exposure leaves a measurable impact in the lungs that may contribute to disease development,” Rose said in a news release.

The military used burn pits to dispose of solid waste when safety and logistical problems interfered with transporting garbage from a military base to landfills or incinerators.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says veterans may be eligible for disability compensation if they have an illness linked to these burn pits.

However, researchers are still trying to figure out how exposure to burn pits affected the ongoing health of veterans.

For this study, researchers analyzed lung tissue samples from 24 veterans with deployment-related lung disease to those from 10 smokers with lung disease and 10 healthy people.

The carbon particle content in the lungs of those exposed to burn pits was similar to that found in smokers, the study found.

Those levels were three times higher than in the healthy people, researchers added.

The higher carbon levels also were significantly associated with reported burn pit exposure, but not with other environmental factors like sandstorms or diesel exhaust.

“This approach allows us to move beyond self-reported exposure histories and directly measure what remains in the lung tissue,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeremy Hua, an occupational pulmonologist at National Jewish Health.

“The strong association between burn pit smoke exposure and (carbon) particle burden is particularly compelling,” he said in a news release.

“These findings help clarify how complex deployment-related exposures may translate into lasting lung injury,” Hua said. “They also underscore the importance of continued research, monitoring and care for veterans experiencing unexplained respiratory symptoms.”

More information

The American Thoracic Society has more on military burn pits.

SOURCE: National Jewish Health, news release, Jan. 12, 2026