Pentagon knowingly exposed troops to cancer-causing chemicals, document shows

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http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Pentagon_knowingly_exposed_troops_to_cancercausing_0310.html


A newly leaked military document appears to show the Pentagon knowingly exposed US troops to toxic chemicals that cause cancer, while publicly downplaying the risks exposure might cause.

The document, written by an environmental engineering flight commander in December of 2006 and posted on Wikileaks (PDF) on Tuesday, details the risks posed to US troops in Iraq by burning garbage at a US airbase. It enumerates myriad risks posed by the practice and identifies various carcinogens released by incinerating waste in open-air pits.

Because of the difficulties in testing samples, investigators could not prove that chemicals exceeded military exposure guidelines. But a military document released last December found that chemicals routinely exceeded safe levels by twice to six times.

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"It is amazing that the burn pit has been able to operate without restrictions over the past few years without significant engineering controls being put in place," Curtis wrote.

"In my professional opinion, there is an acute health hazard for individuals," he added. In addition to carcinogens, "there is also the possibility of chronic health hazards associated with the smoke."

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"A lot of soldiers in my old unit have asthma and bronchitis," a staff sergeant stationed in Iraq in 2005 was quoted as saying. "I lived 50 feet from the burn pit. I used to wake up in the middle of the night choking on it."

"I've seen four or five cardiologists, but no one can tell me what's wrong with my heart," the staff sergeant added.
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down with the pentagon. bunch of liars, cheats and murderers

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. Quote Kissinger - "Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy."

[PDJane]

2. The American Government

Has a history of using military, mental patients and prisoners as captive guinea pigs or lab rats.

Then, of course, they don't pay for care for the damage they've done until the lab rats are nearly dead.

If the American people were aware of the things the so-called secret government does and has done in their name, I would hope there would be a revolution. There has been no reason for most of the conflicts that the US has gotten into since world war II except greed and hubris.