"'We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated,' ... 'The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River,'"
Read the AP story at http://news.findlaw.com/...
I can't believe we still have tax money flowing to these guys. This is not only a health hazard for troops our President has voluntarily put in harms way caused by the VP's own company, but is also a major security risk...
"Of a possible sign of things to come, a former Halliburton employee who worked at the base, Ken May of Louisville, said he observed an unsecured potable water tank used for food preparation at a dining facility. The bolts used to tighten the lid over the tank were missing. In an email to HalliburtonWatch, May said the tank was located in an open area "for anyone to enter, including the enemy." He worries that 'contaminants/poisons could be introduced which could result in mass casualties.'"
...more after you flip the page...
The Associated Press obtained the documents from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry into the allegations Monday."
With this information, it is unclear where these internal memos came from, or how Senate Dems such as Byron Dorgan received them, but of course KBR denies everything and says it is and has always been fine...
Other gems from the AP Enterprise story...
..."While bottled water was available for drinking, the contaminated water was used for virtually everything else, including handwashing, laundry, bathing and making coffee, said water expert Ben Carter of Cedar City, Utah."
Harold "Mo" Orr, coordinator for Halliburton's health and safety dept. had his "'request for further investigation into the matter [] overruled by KBR's health, safety and environmental manager, Jay Delahoussaye, who said in an email that the initial health hazard turned out to be "erroneous" and that "corrective measures" were taken and 'No KBR personnel were exposed to contaminated water.'
"But Granger responded with another email, saying it was unclear whether corrective action had been taken. He said it was 'highly likely' that someone from KBR finally started chlorinating the water this year, but that 'there is no documentation' to confirm it. Nor is there documentation to show KBR is testing the water three times per day as required by the military, Granger said.
Nonetheless, Carter said chlorination is not enough to remedy the problem since raw sewage is routinely dumped less than two miles from the water intake location, in violation of military policy and procedure. "Chlorination of water tanks, while certainly beneficial, is not sufficient protection from parasitic exposure," Carter said in an email to Granger, who is still employed with KBR.
According to Carter, Granger had written a scathing, 21-page report to KBR management about water quality at Ar Ramadi. Carter says the report proves the company's "incompetence and willful negligence" in protecting the water supply."
There is more at http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/... , including information from The Association of Military Surgeons, and Canadian Military officials.