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WV Public BroadcastingJune 30, 2009 · The lawyer representing West Virginia National Guard members over exposure to a chemical compound is looking for other National Guardsmen who may have suffered medical problems after being stationed in Iraq.
Right now, there are seven West Virginian guardsmen named in the case. The men join more than 50 nationwide who were stationed in Iraq guarding a water plant operated by KBR, Inc, and say the contractor exposed them to a known carcinogen during their deployment.
Michael Simon is a lawyer in Weirton who is representing the West Virginians in the lawsuit.
“This case centers around a project that KBR was charged to do,” Simon said. “It was to do the restoration of a water plant in southern Iraq, so that the facility could resume pumping water into Iraqi oil wells for more consistent oil flow.
“And it’s our allegation that they used this carcinogen and exposed the National Guardsmen to them and several of the National Guardsmen have suffered illnesses or could potentially suffer illnesses as a result of being exposed to the hexavalent chromium.”
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Simon says his clients were repeatedly told there was no danger on the site, even after the blood-testing of civilians at the site showed elevated chromium levels. His clients are suing for medical costs and medical monitoring.
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http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=10238