Are you a current or former employee or surviving family member of KBR or Halliburton, who was exposed to burn pit pollutants while working in Iraq or Afghanistan? Have you, or your deceased family member, suffered serious medical conditions in the aftermath of that exposure and need help with medical expenses?
There is a growing body of evidence that suggest the careless burning of dangerous substances in these pits and the subsequent exposure to nearby workers could be at the root of your medical problems.
On December 20, 2006 Lt Colonel Curtis of the United States Air Force wrote a memo outlining the many acute dangers caused by the burn pit at Balad Air Base in Iraq. Lt. Colonel Curtis listed in his memo the possible list of dangerous contaminants included: acetaldehyde, acrolein, arsenic, benzene, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, dichlorofluoromethane, ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, various metals, nitrogen dioxide, phosgene, sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide, toluene, trichloroethane, trochloropropane and xylene. He concluded that the smoke hazard from these containments posed an acute health hazard to not only individuals working close by, but to the local populations as well. Lt Colonel Elliot, Chief of Aeromedical Services, also signed this memo stating that “carcinogens and respiratory sensitizers released into the atmosphere by the burn pit presented an acute and chronic health hazard.)₁
Burn pits were used by KBR and Halliburton, in many locations in Iraq and Afghanistan, before and after this memo was written, exposing countless workers to these dangerous health hazards. The use of incinerators would have prevented these workers from being exposed, but the burn pits were vastly cheaper to use and increased the profits of these corporations.
The dangers these toxic burn pits posed has finally started to get the attention that it deserves and recently the “Military Personnel Toxic Exposure Registry Act” bill was introduced to Congress. While a needed and helpful step in the right direction, the bill address the needs of our brave service men and women, yet ignores the same potentially deadly illnesses that affected the civilian workers who worked nearby, and were exposed to the same toxic smoke from those same burn pits. That is why it is critically important for any civilian workers of KBR and Halliburton, who were exposed to these burn pits and later developed medical problems, to speak with an attorney who can counsel them on protecting their rights to obtain the medical care and compensation they may be entitled to receive. Additionally we are ready to assist the survivors of these workers who died from their exposure to these dangerous burn pits.
Recently the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2647) was signed into law which protects military personnel who have been exposed to burn pit toxins. This law provides for medical care for military personnel who have become ill from burn pit exposure and more importantly prohibits the use of burn pits for disposing of hazardous and medical waste. This law also directs the military to investigate the feasibility of prohibiting the burning of plastic products in burn pits. This important and needed law demonstrates an awareness by our military and government of just how dangerous these burn pits have been in the past, and while a positive and welcome step, does nothing for the former and current employees of KBR and Halliburton who worked at difficult and dangerous jobs supporting our military. These workers were aware of the dangerous and potentially fatal threats from terrorist they faced daily in Iraq and Afghanistan, but never guessed the greatest threats were due to the negligent and dangerous burn pits operated by their own employer.
If you think you, or a now deceased family member, suffered from medical problems after working for KBR or Halliburton in Iraq or Afghanistan please call us at the law firm of Tonda Curry for a free, no obligation consultation, to see if you are entitled to compensation for you, or your deceased loved ones, medical problems or death.