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U.S. | Anti-War | Health, Housing, and Public ServicesIndiana Guardsmen Sue KBR Over Chemical Exposure in Iraq
Thursday, December 4, 2008 :Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers have sued the Houston-based defense contractor KBR, saying the company knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq in 2003. The soldiers were providing security for KBR during repairs of a water treatment plant in southern Iraq shortly after the US invasion. The suit claims the site was contaminated for six months by hexavalent chromium, "one of the most potent carcinogens" known to man. It alleges that KBR knew the plant was contaminated but concealed the danger from civilian workers and soldiers. We speak with one of the soldiers and with the lead attorney in the case. Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers have sued the Houston-based defense contractor KBR saying the company knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq in 2003.
The unit is based in Tell City, Indiana. The soldiers were providing security for KBR during repairs of a water-treatment plant in southern Iraq shortly after the US invasion. The suit claims the site was contaminated for six months by hexavalent chromium, “one of the most potent carcinogens” known to man. It alleges that KBR knew the plant was contaminated but concealed the danger from civilian workers and soldiers. Civilian contractors working for KBR testified at a congressional hearing in June that they experienced symptoms of chromium exposure. The lawsuit says, “The Tell City Guardsmen were repeatedly told that there was no danger on site, even after KBR managers knew that blood testing of American civilians exposed onsite confirmed elevated chromium levels." The toxic chemical “can cause severe damage to the liver and kidneys, depress the immune system” and is known to cause birth defects and cancer, particularly lung cancer, the lawsuit said. The cancer can take years to develop. Some of the soldiers who served at the site now have respiratory system tumors. The suit seeks reimbursement for medical costs, monitoring for cancer and other health problems and unspecified monetary damages. KBR, the largest private contractor in Iraq, used to be a subsidiary of Halliburton, the oilfield services company whose former chief executive was Vice President Dick Cheney. We invited KBR to join us on the program today. They refused our request but they did issue a statement denying the company harmed troops and was responsible for an unsafe condition. Michael Doyle is the lead counsel for the Guardsmen in the litigation. He joins us from a studio in Houston, where KBR is based. We are also joined on the telephone by Jody Aistrop, a former member of the Indiana National Guard and one of the plaintiffs in the suit. Michael Doyle, lead counsel for the Guardsmen in the litigation. His law firm is Doyle Raizner of Houston. Jody Aistrop, former member of the Indiana National Guard. He is one of the sixteen soldiers suing KBR. Related LinksLISTEN ONLINE
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