Former Airmen File Lawsuit Claiming Exposure to Asbestos, Other Toxins
Two airmen who were formerly stationed in Iraq have filed a lawsuit against four defense contracting companies, alleging that these companies burned trash that contained asbestos materials, toilet waste, and toxic plastic water bottles. The airmen claim that they inhaled smoke emitted from the fires and that their health has been jeopardized as a result.
Staff Sergeant Wendy L. McBreairty and Senior Master Sergeant Glen S. Massman, both from Cheyenne, Wyoming, were stationed at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2009. They say the defense contractors conducted open-air trash burning on several occasions.
Named in the suit as defendants are KBR Inc., Haliburton, Kellogg, Brown & Root Services, and Kellogg, Brown & Root, LLC.
The plaintiffs stated that trucks and automobile parts, human waste, rubber tires, asbestos insulation and a large number of empty plastic bottles were thrown into pits and burned, and military personnel nearby were exposed to harmful airborne toxins released from the fire.
When burned, asbestos fibers may become friable and airborne, and those present may inhale or ingest these fibers. Asbestos fibers that enter the human body may cling to the mesothelium, or lining of the internal organs, for up to fifty years before they form a malignancy known as mesothelioma. Upon diagnosis, mesothelioma patients typically lose their battle with this aggressive and always-fatal type of cancer in less than two years.
Plastic bottles contain dioxins, which, like asbestos, are carcinogens and may lead to the development of cancer.
Sgt. Massman said that he inhaled airborne toxins during his time at Camp Bucca in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. He now experiences ongoing respiratory issues, which include a constant cough, allergies, headaches, and chest pain. Sgt. McBreairty claims that she was exposed to toxins while in Balad, Iraq, and that she now suffers from similar ailments as Massman, as well as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
The dangers of asbestos in Iraq are not limited to open-air trash burning. Soldiers residing in deteriorating housing, for example, may be exposed to asbestos fibers, and those who work on military automobiles may also breathe in asbestos fibers that are released from brake pads.
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