Doctor alleges water linked to infections

[Judi Lynn]

April 7, 2006, 11:59PM
Doctor alleges water linked to infections
Halliburton contends it met Army standards


By DAVID IVANOVICH
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - A U.S. Army doctor serving in Iraq has linked a small outbreak of bacterial infections among U.S. troops to allegedly contaminated water supplied by Houston-based Halliburton Co.

In the latest broadside against Halliburton and its performance in Iraq, Senate Democrats produced an e-mail Friday from Capt. A. Michelle Callahan, a family physician serving at Qayyarah Airfield West, recounting how she treated six infections over a two-week period in January, at the same time she was noticing the water in base showers was cloudy and foul-smelling.

Follow-up testing of the water soldiers were using to bathe, shave and even brush their teeth revealed evidence of coliform and E. coli bacteria, Callahan wrote in an e-mail to a staffer for the Democratic Policy Committee, led by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
(snip)

Once Callahan raised the alarm, Halliburton chlorinated the water in the area where the infections had occurred.
But the water was still cloudy, Callahan said. Further investigation revealed that the water the troops were using was actually wastewater from a purification unit, she wrote.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/3780160.html

[fooj]

1. Those rat bastards.......

:grr:

[anitar1]

2. Just Halliburton supporting the troops with the blessings of * and dick.

[cantstandbush]

21. Shouldn't this be all over the evening news? n/t

[windy252]

29. As far as I know, Olbermann already mentioned this

a couple of months ago. I don't know what it would take to get the rest of the media to report it.

[cantstandbush]

28. This is sure a topic suited for Handbills. n/t

[tocqueville]

3. so the guys brushed their teeth with toilet water ?

nothing's good enough for the boys... :sarcasm:

[Cobalt Violet]

19. I wonder how many know this.

I think they should.

[NVMojo]

4. aw, man, this is so screwed up!!! Can we make the White House drink it?

[truthisfreedom]

5. and cheney made millions and millions and millions and millions and

millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and

[NJCher]

6. so why?

Once Callahan raised the alarm, Halliburton chlorinated the water in the area where the infections had occurred.
But the water was still cloudy, Callahan said. Further investigation revealed that the water the troops were using was actually wastewater from a purification unit, she wrote.

I don't think you can just chlorinate sewage and expect it to be drinkable.

Effing morans.

This is another one of these deals where you say, "I thought they couldn't go any lower, but then they...."




Cher

[Solly Mack]

7. My husband's intestinal parasite - while in Iraq - was traced

back to the water used to make food in the KBR kitchens - compounded by the lack of proper food service practices.

A doctor told him it was a disease that's normally seen in 3rd world countries.

[salin]

13. implication being:

Halliburton assumes it can make more profits by cutting costs such as purifyig water, because the resulting diseases/infections/inestinal infestatios are "common in 3rd world countries" (or war zones?)??

Hope your husband is healing and healthy.

[Solly Mack]

16. the doctor was pissed...common in undeveloped countries and

countries where the infrastructure has been destroyed....but simple enough to prevent in a clean kitchen and with simple safety precautions.(had KBR bothered to do so) Which shows just how little effort KBR put into safety precautions.



Husband took about 2 weeks to rid his body of the parasite. He was so pissed when he contracted it - he wouldn't even place his water bottles in ice unless the bottle had never been opened and placed in a plastic zip-lock bag and THEN put on the ice. Once opened, the bottle never touched the ice again. The ice was nasty...visibly nasty.

[salin]

17. I hope that others picked up his actions, and recognized the

threat posed by the practices of KBR/Halliburton.

They are among the worse kind of war profiteers.

[ninkasi]

31. Dubya is trying his best

to make us a 3rd world country, too. This immoral war is just an opportunity to loot the treasury, so KBR is going to give the least possible services for the most possible amounts of money they can steal from American taxpayers.

[wookie294]

8. Halliburton serves POOP to the troops

The audio of the congressional hearing can be downloaded at this link....

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/dpc_hearing.html

[Cobalt Violet]

18. That's how repukes support our troops.

:grr:

[aquart]

9. Supply it to Congress and the White House.

Ask them to drink it.

[xchrom]

10. cost cutting techniques used to improve the bottom line.

haliburton -- the perfect example of Corporate America.

[Kailassa]

11. Think the way they "dispose of" liquid waste is bad?

Just wait till we find out what Cheney does with the solid waste.

[boobooday]

20. I thought Cheney WAS the solid waste

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Uneffing believable.

I'll never believe that Halliburton didn't know about it.

[katinmn]

14. And Congress keeps sending more money to no-bid Halliburton

to keep the war machine humming.

Abuse after abuse has been reported for YEARS now. There are no more excuses. Fucking Cheney! Stupid greedy half-wit Congressmembers who keep voting for this.

[acmejack]

15. Long as they display their yellow ribbons

and mouth their patriotic platitudes. that's what counts!

[glitch]

22. So Cheney serving up shit to Americans not just a metaphor. nt

[zann725]

23. Yeah, and the 'company doctors' in "Erin Brokovich" also said 'safe water'

...as "Company doctors" are paid to do.

[hvn_nbr_2]

24. Support the troops--Bathe 'em in coliform. nt

[WhiteTara]

25. nothing is too good for our soldiers

waste water not even run through filters. Yep, * really supports our troops and we are a better nation for it.

[NYC]

26. I'm sorry the name, Halliburton, is not in the headline.

That's where it belongs. Nothing like brushing your teeth with e-coli.

...Follow-up testing of the water soldiers were using to bathe, shave and even brush their teeth revealed evidence of coliform and E. coli bacteria, Callahan wrote in an e-mail to a staffer for the Democratic Policy Committee, led by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
(snip)

Once Callahan raised the alarm, Halliburton chlorinated the water...

Only after e-coli was proven to be in the water soldiers used to bathe, shave, and brush their teeth did Halliburton chlorinate it.

Halliburton should be fined. They are paid well, and then paid bonuses. This is shameful and inexcusable. This is how Republicans "support the troops." Halliburton should be fined out of existence.

[mom cat]

27. US tells troops to "eat shit and die!"

[Lisa]

30. heckuva job, Halliburton!

I'm remembering that DUer who posted here a while back -- he said a lot of people in his unit came down sick from the bad water. I hope that none of the effects are going to be permanent (some water-borne infections can cause permanent kidney or liver damage!).

And just imagine how bad the situation must be for the Iraqi people.

[kestrel91316]

32. Normally one of the duties of military veterinarians is to ensure the

cleanliness and safety of the soldiers' food supply. If food was being prepared with contaminated water, a veterinarian should have been able to pick up on the problem and prevent this mess. My guess is they don't bother to have any vets inspecting anything to do with Halliburton, because they are independent contractors. They probably just trust Halliburton to inspect and do safety stuff (but they don't).

This is completely inexcusable, and a national embarrassment, IMHO.