Wartime Contractors May Be Liable in the Future

Guest Blogger, Tim Elliot; from Afghan & Military Blog -

In the aftermath of several National Guard soldiers from Indiana, Oregon, and West Virginia lawsuit against KBR, the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, a delegation of Senators and Representatives from Oregon are introducing legislation aimed at stripping U.S. war contractors of their protection against lawsuits. The National Guardsman began attempting to sue the Houston-based contractor two years ago, after alleging that the contractor knowingly allowed for the soldiers to be poisoned by hexavalent chromium, a potent carcinogen.

The soldiers have stated that they, along with other American civilian contractors, were exposed to hexavalent chromium at the Qarmat Ali water pump plant in southern Iraq, just north of the Persian Gulf. It’s believed that the highly toxic chemical was left behind by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein, and the chemical, a bright orange powder, was undisputedly widely dispersed throughout the grounds of the water plant.

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