The U.S. Military Contracted Burn Pits No One Is Talking About

Description written by VICE: "The U.S. military contracts one of the largest hazardous waste handlers in North America to burn millions of pounds of munitions near a low-income and predominantly Black community in Louisiana called Colfax. The facility, Clean Harbors Colfax LLC, is the only commercial facility in the country allowed to open burn munitions waste such as HEI cartridges, propellants and even fireworks from Disneyland with little environmental emissions controls, and has been doing so since the 80s to the detriment of the people who live nearby. Residents of Colfax are complaining that the toxic air that moves off-site into their homes and the contaminants that seeps into their soil and groundwater is making them sick with skin rashes, breathing problems and cancer. VICE heads to Colfax to document the stories of residents, citizen groups and environmental activists who are going against the giants of industry and government, refusing to back down until their community breathes clean air once again."