KBR sued by veterans for toxic exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan

Jul 20, 2009

Approximately 200 veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined a lawsuit against KBR, formerly a subsidiary of Halliburton, for diseases they contracted from KBR’s burn pits. Burn pits are large, open-air pits that have been created by KBR contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to incinerate human body parts, lithium batteries, plastics, hardware, unexploded ordnance, humvees, gas cans, and building rubble that includes asbestos insulation.

Veterans who have joined the lawsuit have suffered a number of diseases from the smoke emanating from these burn pits, including painful skin conditions, cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory diseases, severe headaches and neurological problems.

Although the Pentagon has stated that these burn pits are not a health hazard, a board of military doctors recently concluded that the holes and lesions in Spc. Edward Adams’ lungs were most likely related to the burn pits in Iraq, from which he was quartered downwind.

Since 2001, the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in U.S. service men and women has increased 82 percent. The incidence of all other respiratory illnesses has increase 37 percent. U.S. veterans who have not yet developed serious illnesses as a result of exposure to these toxic burn pits may still develop asbestos-related illnesses like pleural mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that attacks the lining surrounding the lungs.

In addition to the lawsuit against KBR concerning the burn pits, two U.S. Congressional Representatives, Tim Bishop of New York and Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, are promoting the Military Personnel War Zone Toxic Exposure Prevention Act. The bill calls for the Department of Defense (DoD) to identify U.S. soldiers who are at risk from the burn pits, investigate the effects of the burn pits and prohibit the military from using waste disposal methods that would produce dangerous levels of toxins.

For the full story, go to The Daily Kos.

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