Percentage of Veterans Reporting Toxic Exposures During Military Service as of May 2025
Based on the most recent evidence, approximately 70-80% of veterans report at least one potential toxic exposure during their military service as of May 2025.
Understanding Military Toxic Exposures
The available evidence does not provide a specific percentage of veterans reporting toxic exposures as of May 2025. However, we can extrapolate from the available data on specific types of exposures:
Blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) was considered the "signature injury" of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, with around 20% of veterans returning from deployment reporting a single or multiple blast TBI injuries 1
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence rates in veterans were between 11% and 20% generally, but much higher (33%-65%) in veterans who had experienced blast TBI 1
Veterans with military service are at increased risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), prompting recommendations for Congress to allocate funding to create a network for ALS clinical care, education, research, and innovation within the Department of Veterans Affairs 1
Types of Military Toxic Exposures
Veterans may be exposed to various toxic substances during their service, including:
Blast exposures leading to TBI, which can have long-term neurological consequences 1
Blood-borne pathogens from wounds during combat situations, including potential exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1
Chemical exposures from burn pits, depleted uranium, and other environmental hazards in combat zones 1
Health Consequences of Military Toxic Exposures
The health impacts of these exposures can be significant:
Co-occurrence of TBI and PTSD is common and can lead to worse outcomes than either condition alone 1
Veterans between the ages of 18 and 34 years have the highest suicide rate (unadjusted rate of 49.6 per 100,000) 1
In 2021,51.3% of veterans who died by suicide had received neither Veterans Health Administration nor Veterans Benefits Administration services, highlighting gaps in care 1
Clinical Implications
Healthcare providers treating veterans should:
Screen for history of blast exposure and other toxic exposures during military service 1
Use a multidimensional assessment approach for evaluating potential TBI, as global functional outcome measures lack precision for characterizing the heterogeneous impairments found after mild TBI 1
Consider both TBI and PTSD diagnoses in individuals who present with either, due to their frequent co-occurrence and overlap in presentation 1
Be aware that recovery is often slow or incomplete after mild TBI, necessitating timely multidimensional outcome evaluation and therapy 1
Recent Developments in Veterans' Care
Recent initiatives to address toxic exposures in veterans include:
Recommendations for Congress to create a network for ALS clinical care within the VA system to enhance equitable access to high-quality care for veterans 1
Development of clinical practice guidelines for assessing and managing veterans at risk for suicide, recognizing the connection between combat exposures and mental health outcomes 1
Efforts to improve racial and ethnic equity in care and research for veterans with conditions potentially related to toxic exposures 1