$85 Million verdict against Kellog Brown & Root (KBR), a US Iraq War contractor, for exposing soldiers to toxins

Back in January of 2010, there were many reports on possible health hazards American soldiers were getting exposed to in Iraq and Afghanistan as a result of the burning of hazardous and medical waste.  See here and here.  A  number of lawsuits were filed. One lawsuit was filed by a group of Indiana National Guardsmen who alleged that a mission to help clean up a water treatment plant in southern Iraq left them with fatal illnesses. (See here.)

Another case, filed by Oregon Guardsmen, has now been decided.  Torts Today is reporting that after a three week trial, a jury deliberated two days before it found KBR liable for negligently exposing soldiers to sodium dichromate, a cancer causing toxin substance containing hexavalent chromium. The jury returned an $85 million verdict against Kellog Brown & Root (KBR), a US Iraq war contractor.  The Washington Post has more on story here.

A similar lawsuit is now pending in the US Court in Maryland alleging that KBR, and others, exposed US soldiers to toxins from burn pits that were built, constructed or maintained for waste disposal.