Grist: KBR, Halliburton sued over war-zone’s toxic burn pits

KBR, Halliburton sued over war-zone’s toxic burn pits

Posted 10:29 AM on 8 Jun 2009
by Sue Sturgis


Confronted with the need to dispose of enormous quantities of war-related trash including batteries, pesticide containers, medical waste and even human body parts, but lacking proper incinerators, private contractors working for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan came up with a simple solution.

They burned the trash in big, open pits.

But now soldiers, contractors and civilians have filed a series of class-action lawsuits against the companies behind the burning, saying the smoke from the pits—which at times was so heavy it reduced visibility to only a few yards and filled soldiers’ living quarters—contained toxic chemicals that have left them with severe respiratory problems, chronic infections and even cancer.

The suits have been filed in 10 states against Houston-based KBR and former parent company Halliburton by Burke O’Neil, a law firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and Charlottesville, Va. Attorney Elizabeth Burke says her firm expects to file suit in 34 states where people are suffering problems they believe are linked to the burning. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.grist.org/article/kbr-halliburton-sued-over-war-zones-toxic-burn-pits/