AP: Water Makes US Troops in Iraq Sick

WASHINGTON — Dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using "unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water supplied by the military and a contractor once owned by Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, the Pentagon's internal watchdog says.

A report obtained by The Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five U.S. military sites in Iraq.

The Defense Department's inspector general's report, which could be released as early as Monday, found water quality problems between March 2004 and February 2006 at three sites run by contractor KBR Inc., and between January 2004 and December 2006 at two military-operated locations.

It was impossible to link the dirty water definitively to all the illnesses, according to the report. But it said KBR's water quality "was not maintained in accordance with field water sanitary standards" and the military-run sites "were not performing all required quality control tests."

The report said KBR took corrective steps and was providing adequate water quality by November 2006. But military units at the two sites they controlled were still failing to perform required quality control tests and maintain appropriate records by that time.

"Therefore, water suppliers exposed U.S. forces to unmonitored and potentially unsafe water," at the military sites by late 2006, the report said.

The problems did not extend to troops' drinking water, but rather to water used for washing, bathing, shaving and cleaning. Water used for hygiene and laundry must meet minimum safety standards under military regulations because of the potential for harmful exposure through the eyes, nose, mouth, cuts and wounds.

The KBR sites were Camp Ar Ramadi, Camp Q-West and Camp Victory. The military sites were Logistics Support Area Anaconda and Camp Ali.

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The inspector general's study confirmed AP reports on the contaminated water in early 2006 and provided additional details on the scope of the problem at the Iraq bases. In January that year, interviews and internal company documents disclosed the problems at Ar Ramadi and showed that KBR employees could not get the company to inform base residents.

Halliburton Co., then KBR's parent company, disputed the allegations even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails. In March 2006, the AP obtained an internal Halliburton report that, in one instance, the company missed contamination that could have caused "mass sickness or death" at Ar Ramadi.

The report said the event at Ar Ramadi could have been prevented if KBR's reverse osmosis units on the site had been assembled, instead of relying on the military's water production facilities.

Halliburton is the oil services conglomerate that Cheney once led. Congressional Democrats long have complained that KBR has benefited from its former ties to Cheney.

KBR, responding to the inspector general's report, said its water treatment "has met or exceeded all applicable military and contract standards." The company took exception to many of the inspector general's assertions. "KBR's commitment to the safety of all of its employees remains unwavering," the company said in a statement to the AP.

KBR provided water treatment to U.S. troops under a large-scale defense contract that also included housing and food to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Djbouti and Georgia.

The military has "taken the appropriate measures to correct the problem and ensure we provide the appropriate oversight of the system," said Navy Capt. James Graybeal of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. troops in the Middle East.

North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan, who has led Democratic inquiries into contracting abuses in Iraq, said the inspector general has backed up what those earlier hearings uncovered. "KBR was not doing its job" and U.S. forces had water that did not meet Army standards, Dorgan said.

"I think it's outrageous that KBR tried to deny that there was a problem, especially when it turned out that there were dozens of U.S. troops reporting water-related illnesses," he said.

The inspector general investigated the 2006 reports at Dorgan's request.

The inspector general's report said some troops noticed problems with the water. Between October 2004 and May 2005, troops at Camp Ar Ramadi said bathwater was discolored and had an unusual odor. The report said KBR failed to treat the nonpotable water and monitor water quality during the same period.

At Camp Q-West, KBR inappropriately delivered chlorinated wastewater for showers and latrines without informing military preventive medicine officials, the report said. "KBR did not monitor or record the quality of water at point-of-use containers before April 2006, even though the ... contract required the company to do so," the report added.

Medical records for troops at Camp Q-West indicated 38 cases of illnesses commonly attributed to problem water. These include skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections and diarrhea. Doctors diagnosed 24 of the cases in January and February 2006, the same period when medical officials warned of a rise in bacterial infections at the base.

In addition, military medical records _ tied to no particular base in Iraq _ showed 26 cases of food and waterborne diseases, including hepatitis, giardiasis and typhoid fever.

___

On the Net:

U.S. Central Command: http://www.centcom.mil/

KBR Inc.: http://www.kbr.com/

Comments

[TheInsomniac]

Well, it's still not as bad as Vietnam. Just as pointless, but not as bad.

[ltfcrazy]

Doesn't this just outline the avarice and murderous nature of the Bush administration!? I'm so sick of hearing about the failures of this criminal cabal I could puke. I wish there were more I could do. I wish we could put a warrant out for their arrest in EVERY city in the U.S.

[bushmocker]

Anyone living long enough has had occasion where they got their hands dirty and no facility to cleanup was nearby.You can rinse your hands in puddles if it's raining or if it just finished raining.So­metimes these puddles have oil slicks from automobile and truck leaks,surely it wouldn't pass any kind of test as clean usable water.But we use it and make do and clean up when we get to another location with fresh running water.I have done this many times in my life and never suffered any ill effects and would bet there are many more people that do the same without ill effects.Wh­at would have to be in the water that would cause abcesses,c­ellulitus,­skin infections­,diarrhea,­hepatitus,­giaradiasi­s and typhoid fever.It sounds like they reused waste water without treating it.Hallibu­rton is one disgusting money grubbing POS.Their executives should be obliged to use the same facilities as our servicemen and women,change would come pretty quick then.

[paulnps]

I hope that this spurs Congress to begin major investigations of the poor practices and outrageous fees for which Haliburton is reponsible. If the same problems were done by a water processor in any U.S. city the executives responsible would be brought up on criminal charges by local district attorneys. We have no such hope with our Justice Department, who will only act to protect Haliburton, not the American soldiers and citizens who are paying for thier crimes. My understanding of the business practice of collecting funds for a product and service that was never supplied is called fraud. When it involves the health of our soldiers in harms way, I think it is criminal fraud. May every executive and supervisor at Haliburton that allowed these harmful practices to be done be brought into court on federal indictments. More Repbulican graft feeding on the goodwill of soldiers and citizens.

[Not Blind]

Why would anyone be surprised at this revelation? It's just another one of numerous instances where private no-bid contractors (hired by the government for WHOM they know, rather than their ability to deliver promised goods/services) has resulted in scandalous and criminal outcomes, for which our soldiers and the American public pay dearly.
We had Blackwater mercenaries murder civilians, then immediately immunized, while low-ranking military guards were prosecuted for abuses at Abu Ghraib as those who gave orders were exalted, promoted and rewarded. KBG employees in Iraq have been accused of raping female workers, and insist arbitration, rather than prosecution or even civil litigation should result. Rape or sexual harrassment is a federal crime, not a mere employee dispute, and should be treated as such. The reports about un-filtered, contaminated water being provided to our troops were in the media long ago, but squashed as newsworthy after a day or two, until this recent posting. Companies that were supposed to provide body armor and adequately armored vehicles to our troops missed the mark, delayed, or ultimately did not deliver what they charged the government for and needless deaths and injuries to our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted.
Time and again, these private contractors over-charge and under-perform by the terms of their contracts with disasterous results and consequences to our troops, and financially for this nation. Both Congressional oversight, and main-stream media overlook, then bury these reports and news-worthy findings quickly, so they in essence condone and sanction further abuses. When and if some brave representative or journalist calls for some accountability, both the A.G. (Mukasey), and executive branch claim executive privilege, obstruct justice by refusing to testify, destroy evidence (emails, video-tapes), or outright lie, and then the matter seems to disappear.
If our government wanted such a full-scale war, they (Congress and the executive) should have re-instituted the draft, and then allowed military (who is held accountable) to run the affairs and management of the war as is prudent. These no-bid private entities have mismanaged nearly every aspect of the war since they were hired. They've overcharged, not delivered what they're paid for, and then resume business as usual without consequence. The result is needless deaths, injuries to our troops, and a less efficient operation which has hindered, not helped the military.

[SeaOats]

Immodium and anti-bacterial wipes are my kid's top two care package requests. They've gone for weeks without any shower water at his outpost, brushing teeth with gatorade when bottled water runs out. But hey, ya go to war with the Army you have, and resupply when ya get around to it. Iraqi citizens are in even worse shape - there's no resupply for them, ever.

[desmirl]

Nothing like supporting the troops. Thanks, Mr. Cheney and Hallliburton.

[frappe]

Hey Bush and Cheney, put a STOP PAYMENT on those checks to the "no-bid contractor", Halliburton.

[TAC]

It's really only collateral damage, the important thing is corporations must be allowed to maximize profits for their shareholde­rs...

[myshadow]

every day dick cheney and his copresident wake up with out handcuffs is a crime against humanity.

[sandiegowoman]

IRAQ FOR SALE came out 3 years ago. Watch it! The water issue was discussed at great length. Employees spoke on record, soldiers spoke on record. This is not news to those paying attention.



ARREST BUSH

[BlackWidowPilot]

Yet one more nail in the coffin of the Bushevik regime. Last time with Cheney-crony KBR it was employees gang raping a woman and before that serving rotting food to our troops. And this a war for oil and empire based upon over 900+ documented lies about WMDs.

Enough is enough!

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[OilWarsDotCom]

Hey when VOLUNTEER you work for evil bastards like cheney and bush, anything can happen. halliburton is just like any other American corporation. The race to the bottom line is what is important and if a few worthless humans, animals and etc., get sick or die along the way, too bad.
Oh yea, we aren't supposed to be in Iraq stealing that countries resources, gaining strategic position and etc., anyway.
As soon as Americans pull their support for the troops, the sooner this action will come to an end.......­...We sure have short memories - VietNam anyone?

[Ramirez]

I remember this story when it first appeared two years ago or so. Outrageous.

[brooklyncitizen]

This is not news. A few years ago "Iraq for Sale" discussed this. Many of the people in charge knew that the contractors such as Halliburton were not doing due diligence and providing safe water. The irony they sadi is that the troop may survive the typical challenges of war and come home ill with dyssentry and oterh illnesses from contaminated water courtesy of their US govt.