The AP has obtained a report by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense confirming earlier reports that KBR delivered "unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water to US troops.
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.
KBR's response? "KBR's commitment to the safety of all of its employees remains unwavering." (Emphasis mine). Yes, I'm sure KBR's employees got decent water while our troops got sick.
Some of those employees tried to get KBR to inform the troops that there were "potential" problems with the water. They were ignored:
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.
Just another example of Contractors Gone Wild with no accountability. This report was done at the insistence of Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan. The GOP has turned a blind eye to these abuses. Way to "support the troops". Six years, no oversight, billions in profits = potential "mass sickness and death" for troops but KBR employees were safe.