During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US military often used open-air burn pits to dispose of things like batteries, jet fuel, medical waste, and more.
As reported by the Colorado Newsline’s Jennifer Shutt, the scene when President Biden signed the bill was very emotional. Danielle Robinson, the widow of Ohio National Guard Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, introduced President Biden, saying:
“As a military spouse, when your loved one returns home safely from a deployment, you count your blessings. You’re filled with gratitude. Fear turns to relief as you begin living as a family again. But 10 years post deployment from Iraq, my husband Heath began the biggest battle of his life. A terminal stage four lung cancer diagnosis due to toxic exposure from a burn pit in Baghdad.”
“Burn pits,” she said, “became the biggest nightmare of our lives.” President Biden has long believed his son Beau died of a similar nightmare.