Report: Army making toxic mess in war zones

[unhappycamper]

Report: Army making toxic mess in war zones
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 3, 2008 5:52:13 EDT

The U.S. Army is creating a toxic mess in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a new report that details cases of hazardous waste dumped in ditches, soldiers setting up tents on top of fuel spills and service members exposed to cyanide gas during overseas deployments.

The report by the Rand Corp. think tank also says the Defense Department has no overarching policy to ensure environmental mishaps in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t harm troops’ health, create political disputes and avoid costly clean-up efforts when it’s time to leave those countries.

“If not properly addressed in planning or operations, environmental considerations can make it more difficult for the Army to sustain the mission — yet environmental considerations are not well incorporated into Army planning or operations in any phase of an operation,” states the report, released in late September by the Rand Arroyo Center, a federally funded research and development center that supports the Army.

The report, “Green Warriors: Army Environmental Considerations for Contingency Operations from Planning through Post-Conflict, states:

• A contractor hired by the Defense Department dumped waste oil in a landfill in Iraq and then sold the barrels.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_toxiciraq_100208w/%2e