The Business Of Law

Last week, I posted a piece about Jamie Jones a former Halliburton employee who was allegedly assaulted in Iraq and then held against her will by the company to prevent her from coming forward. She’s now a whistleblower who I recently had the chance to hear speak.

Well now we’re seeing more reason to wonder about the huge defense contractor. In December, sixteen Indiana National Guardsmen filed suit against KBR, (a Halliburton subsidiary) alleging that the company exposed them to hazardous chemicals while they were guarding the Quarmat Ali water plant in Southern Iraq.

The allegations are amazing. First, these soldiers and civilians are exposed to harmful chemicals like sodium dichromate which contains pure hexavalent chromium. (Follow the link, it’s nasty stuff).

Then the KBR managers said that soldiers complaining of symptoms were just suffering from “dry desert air” or that they were “allergic to sand”. (Tip of the cap to Shannon Henson over at Law 360 subscription required)

Turns out that while more than 60 percent of the soldiers were documented with symptoms, work continued on the site for another month.

Then according to the Associated Press another 433 Guardsmen may have been exposed to chromium while escorting KBR employees to another water plant.

(continue reading…)