Iraq veteran blames KBR for his suffering on chemical exposure
By Keri Brown of West Virginia Public Broadcasting
July 10, 2009 · Seven National Guard veterans in West Virginia are among 50 nationwide who say they are experiencing severe health problems after being exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq.
The veterans are suing civilian contractor KBR Inc. for not warning them of the dangers they faced protecting KBR workers at an Iraqi water treatment plant.
The lawsuit claims the National Guard veterans were exposed to hexavalent chromium. That’s the same chemical made famous in the movie “Erin Brokovich” for sickening people in a small California town.
Thirty-four-year-old Russell Powell of Moundsville is one of the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against KBR and two of its subsidiaries.
