Burn Pits 360 co-founders to speak at ATS 2026 in Orlando

By AI, Created 5:16 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Burn Pits 360 co-founders Le Roy and Rosie Torres will speak Sunday at the American Thoracic Society’s 2026 conference in Orlando, alongside Veterans’ health advocate Jon Stewart via livestream. The session comes as researchers revisit burn pit-related illness and as the group pushes its registry and screening efforts for exposed service members and families.

Why it matters: - Burn Pits 360 is using the ATS stage to keep military toxic exposure, burn pit illness and Veterans’ respiratory health in front of pulmonologists and researchers. - The group’s registry and screening push has helped inform PACT Act implementation and continues to feed academic and clinical research. - The session could help connect science, advocacy and patient outreach for Veterans and families still seeking diagnoses and care.

What happened: - Burn Pits 360 co-founders Le Roy Torres and Rosie Torres will speak Sunday, May 17, at the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference 2026 in Orlando, Florida. - The session is part of the ATS Terrorism and Inhalation Disasters Section Annual Meeting. - The meeting runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time at the Orange County Convention Center. - Fellow Veteran advocates Matt Erpelding, Gordon Peters, M.D., Dr. Anthony Szema and other session participants will also take part. - Jon Stewart will join the meeting via livestream.

The details: - The meeting opens with a ceremony featuring colors posted by the Florida State Police. - The ceremony is meant to honor the service and sacrifice of Veterans whose stories are central to the session. - Stewart spent years pushing Congress to pass the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, known as the PACT Act. - Congress signed the PACT Act into law in 2022. - Stewart has also backed service members exposed at K-2 airbase in Uzbekistan and 9/11 first responders with inhalation-related illness. - Burn Pits 360 operates an independent, Veteran-led registry. - The registry provides data to academic and clinical researchers studying post-deployment respiratory illness. - Burn Pits 360 says the registry has informed implementation of the PACT Act. - Veterans, service members and surviving family members exposed to military burn pits or other airborne hazards are encouraged to enroll in the registry. - Media covering ATS 2026 can request interviews with Burn Pits 360 leadership through the listed contact.

Between the lines: - Rosie Torres framed the ATS appearance as a sign that the PACT Act opened the door but did not solve the full problem for ill Veterans. - Le Roy Torres said science has caught up to what Veterans have long reported about burn pit exposure and illness. - Burn Pits 360 is trying to move the issue from broad recognition to practical screening, prevention and earlier identification. - The presence of both researchers and a prominent public advocate suggests the session is meant to bridge clinical science and public pressure.

What’s next: - Burn Pits 360 is likely to keep recruiting exposed Veterans and families into its registry. - The organization will continue using the registry to support research on post-deployment respiratory disease. - ATS 2026 may generate more visibility for burn pit-related illness, non-invasive imaging advances and ongoing Veterans’ health advocacy.

The bottom line: - Burn Pits 360 is turning a major respiratory medicine conference into a forum for burn pit accountability, research and faster Veterans’ care.