EPISODE · May 11, 2026 · 3 MIN
Veterans' brain cancer must be treated as service-related
from Checkpoint
A landmark case has found that a veterans' brain cancer must be treated as service-related because of exposure to potentially carcinogenic burn pits on his deployment in Somalia. Open burn pits were used in many conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan, where there wasn't infrastructure to deal with the large amounts of waste created by military operations. In the US, a long list of conditions are automatically considered to be related to burn pit exposure, including several cancers and respiratory issues. But here in New Zealand none of those conditions have been accepted as service-related, until now. Luka Forman has more.
What this episode covers
A landmark case has found that a veterans' brain cancer must be treated as service-related because of exposure to potentially carcinogenic burn pits on his deployment in Somalia. Open burn pits were used in many conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan, where there wasn't infrastructure to deal with the large amounts of waste created by military operations. In the US, a long list of conditions are automatically considered to be related to burn pit exposure, including several cancers and respiratory issues. But here in New Zealand none of those conditions have been accepted as service-related, until now. Luka Forman has more.
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Veterans' brain cancer must be treated as service-related
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