Mt Pinatubo Philippines

[pilgrim01]

I was stationed at Clark AB, Philippines and was exposed to the volcanic eruption of Mt Pinatubo for 5 months breathing ash! I was wondering if any type of disability has been discovered from it? Thanks!

[Berta]

The Mt Pinatubo eruption caused considerable health problems to residents and others near the eruption.It even affected water supplies.

There are many sites on the net as to these problems but my PC is acting up- cant give a link- just Google Mt. Pinatubo and health affects

If you have a health problem, that by medical evidence, can be directly attributed to this eruption,and you can prove exposure to volcanic ash while stationed there -as the direct cause, this could possibly be a valid claim.

I cannot open the BVA web site-

http://www.va.gov/index.htm

I am trying to see if there is any similiar types of claim there.

This type of claim would take a medical opinion from an expert in environmental medicine and proof of direct exposure while stationed in the Phillipines to whatever toxic sustances the eruption caused as well as a documented disability- at a ratable level-that you have, which would have no other known medical etiology.

Have you kept in contact with your unit and has anyone in your unit also experienced any disability due to this eruption?

[Berta]

Try this in the Google browser:

"Mt Pinatubo eruption Clark AF Base health problems"

There are some links there to CLark and how the ash affected the base-

I cannot open the links-weather affecting my sattelite dish

[pilgrim01]

I know of a couple of people that were in my unit. None (that I know of) has any problems.

[Berta]

It certainly was an environmental disaster.

"Mount Pinatubo , active volcano, 5,840 ft (1,780 m), central Luzon island, the Philippines, c.55 mi (90 km) NW of Manila. Dormant for 600 years, it began erupting on Apr. 2, 1991. Most residents had evacuated surrounding areas when Pinatubo erupted catastrophically (June 15, 1991), killing over 500 people and burying over 310 sq mi (800 sq km) under volcanic ash. As much as 2 cu mi (8 cu km) of ash was ejected in the eruption. The nearby U.S. Clark Air Force Base was devastated by the ash fall, which resulted in the base's closure. Landslides of rain-soaked volcanic ash caused further destruction in 1991 and subsequent years."

http://www.encyclopedia.com/

I dont know what the long term health affects of this type of exposure would be.

It seems to me there were mass evacuations.I found nothing at the BVA web site where any vet claimed disability specifically to this event.

[pilgrim01]

Thanks. I know there has to be some effects from this. Ash was everywhere! Inches and sometimes feet of it! I was a military cop at the time so we had to continue to secure the base. The volcano blew in June and I left in Oct and the base closed in Nov (all of 1991). We were supposed to wear masks whenever we were outside but that slowly went to the wayside. I was just wondering if anyone had any info on any delayed effects of exposure.

[Berta]

When I used just "ash" as a search term at the BVA more claims popped up-

http://www.va.gov/vetapp00/files1/0000779.txt

This vet claimed ash exposure due to the same incident but failed to get a strong medical nexus between his disabilities and the exposure to the Mt. Pinatubo ash.