(Haliburton/KBR Poisoning our Troops) - Military Burn Pits

[Indi Guy]

Source: Sokilove Law

Because of potential health hazards, such as cancer, respiratory problems, skin lesions and infections, burning waste as a means of disposal has been curtailed in the United States.

However, on military bases (including Balad Air Force Base in Iraq and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan) highly toxic chemicals, plastic bottles, paints, and unexploded ordnance, were routinely burned in open pits. As a result, many members of the military, who lived or worked on or near those and other bases are developing serious health problems because they were exposed to toxic smoke...


Class action suits on behalf of US soldiers have now been filed in at least 10 states. The suits charge military contractors KBR and its former parent company, Halliburton, improperly disposed of waste and created toxic fumes by burning trash in large, open pits. Among the waste burned were batteries, dangerous chemicals, fuel, tires, plastic and pesticide containers, medical waste, and even human body parts...

Although the Department of Defense claims there are no health problems related to the waste burning, a 2008 report by a non-profit research organization says the US Army is creating a toxic mess in Afghanistan and Iraq and has no effective policy to ensure that troops are protected from environmental problems. Meanwhile, the Veterans Affairs Department is gathering information from the soldiers to try to determine if their claims are valid.

Read more: http://www.sokolovelaw.com/case-types/military-burn-pits.html?gclid=CNCniM776KACFQUhnAodSDb6GA

---

Soldiers report breathing smoke from these fires have caused serious problems, including:

Lung Disease, Chronic Pain, Heart Problems, Lymphoma, Brain Cancer, Leukemia, Tumors, Skin Lesions, Infections, Respiratory Problems, Chronic Coughs, Asthma, Blood Disorders, Dizziness, Sleep Apnea, Fatigue, Breathing Difficulties, Bronchitis, and Bronchiolitis...

[pundaint]

1. Let's stop glorifying participation in this badly run out of control Empire machine. Mother don't

let your children grow up to be cannon fodder. The military isn't healthy on a good day, and they haven't had a good day since 9/11.

[Indi Guy]

2. I expect Fat Cat Corps...

...to crap on the little guy; that's what they do best. But what about the DOJ playing Sgt. Schultz?

[pasto76]

3. with no other options, burning is the sole solution

burn pits were everywhere when I was there. And-we-burned-everything.

SGT PASTO

[pinboy3niner]

5. Welcome home, SGT Pasto!

You've nailed the problem--"other options" are desperately needed. Putting the troops at risk should not be considered an option. If we can provide Big Macs in a combat zone, we can provide for removal of hazardous waste.

[pasto76]

8. thanks, Ive been home a while

one of the problems is packaging. Everything you eat or drink somes with tons of packaging. And anything that was food packaging has to be discarded or else pests are attracted as the food residues rot....


awesome point about the burgers.

[Arctic Dave]

9. Digging a hole is not an option?

With the thousands of pieces of equipment that is over there, they didn't think of a bulldozer and excavator?

[DissedByBush]

12. Anybody else here ever burned shit cans with diesel?

Standard everywhere for as long as I know.

And the stank sticks with you for a while.

I was happy to burn the mess trailer refuse and the classified material. At least you didn't stink to high-heaven afterward.

[RedCloud]

4. Like depleted uranium poisoning, who will get rich treating these "accident" victims?

[underpants]

6. And you just know that they claimed to burn 2X the number that they actually burned

if this case is won I hope that fudged numbers truly come back to bite them

[Libertas1776]

7. Well,

I'm sure justice will be served...or more likely if this injustice causes enough grief to reach the highest levels of the government and military, the President will just sign some "Presidential Determination" absolving the government of any liability like Clinton did with the chemical pits at the real life Area 51. Soldiers, civilian workers, whoever is being screwed, you can rest assured that those in charge will take the three monkeys stance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Determination

[Arctic Dave]

10. Little piece of trivia, Halliburton is the ONLY company that still burns

trash in the oilfield. They are too cheap to send it to the landfill like everyone else.

[Indi Guy]

20. Doesn't surprise me...

...the company seems to actually have contempt for life (human or otherwise).

[TacticalPeek]

11. It's gone on for years because no one is held accountable.

Lung disease of soldier linked to burn pits

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 2, 2009 13:28:26 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/military_burnpits_lungs_063009w/


Defense officials seek better data on burn pits

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 27, 2010 18:37:58 EST
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/01/military_burn_pit_balad_illness_012710w/


The 'Burn Pits' Of Iraq And Afghanistan

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123187642&ft=1&f=1004



etc etc etc

It's a real real bad health factor, impacting readiness. Fuck Halliburton and Cheeney.

[Indi Guy]

13. The degree of hypocrisy here is unimaginable...

Actions speak louder than words.

Cheeney's "privatization" (no-bid hiring of cooperate mercenaries like Halliburton & Blackwater) emphatically & treasonously says, "Fuck our troops."

[DLnyc]

14. IIRC, the purpose of the burn pits was to dispose of PERFECTLY GOOD

material, in order to increase the payoff from 'cost plus' contracts.

[Indi Guy]

15. That Makes Perfect Sense - Given the Hyper-bloated Pentagon Deficit...

...got a link or 2?

[DLnyc]

21. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to get back before this.

I had figured others would chime in with links; they are not hard to find.

But, better late than never I guess -- here are just a sampling of links to what was at the time a fairly big story:

Google seach on '"burn pits" "cost plus"':
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=NKC&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22burn+pits%22+%22cost+plus%22&lr=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

A sampling:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17688.htm
Another young Halliburton worker named James Logsdon told me about the burn pits. Burn pits are large dumps near military stations where they would burn equipment, trucks, trash, etc. If they ordered the wrong item, they'd throw it in the burn pit. If a tire blew on a piece of equipment, they'd throw the whole thing into the burn pit. They burn pits had so much equipment, they even gave them a nickname -- "Home Depot."

======

http://cricketdiane.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/3623/
Let’s be more precise here. Are these really “Pentagon” burn pits, or are these Pentagon-outsourced burn pits run by the likes of KBR-Halliburton? KBR-Halliburton rountinely burns “surplus” equipment because it is on a cost-plus accounting contract. It gets reimbursed for expenditures plus a guaranteed percentage above that. In one case documented by Robert Greenwald, KBR bought the wrong computer equipment and rather than return it, they burned it. Not only a waste of money, but extremely toxic. Unfortunately, I have come to expect this from the new and increasingly privatized Pentagon. It makes me sick everytime I hear some pro-business type politician boast how s/he “supports the troops.” What, as a profit center?

======

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/5/12/13855/1143
He laughed and referred to one that he had seen that was 15 football fields large and burned around the clock! It infuriated him to have to burn stuff rather then give it to the Iraqis or to the military. Yet Halliburton was being rewarded each time they billed the government for a new truck or new piece of equipment. With a cost-plus contract, the contractors receive a percentage of the money they spend. As Shane told me, "It's a legal way of stealing from the government or the taxpayers' money." These costs eat up the money that could be used for other supplies.

etc.

[Indi Guy]

16. This thread just got bumped off LBN...

:shrug:

[Overseas]

17. K&R. For the Bush Cheney War Profiteering File. //nt

[Indi Guy]

18. OK ...

...Let's keep the facts coming (regardless of forum)

[Indi Guy]

19. Actually I'm Getting the Sense That This Thread Has Been Promoted...

...thank you LBN mod -- seriously.