Military conceals information about carcinogens, according to a lawsuit

Groups representing US military veterans have sued to demand information on hazardous materials at K2 base in Uzbekistan. The Pentagon has hidden information on uranium, nerve gas and other hazardous materials that allegedly caused American troops to fall ill while stationed at an Uzbek military base in the early years of the war in Afghanistan. The federal court lawsuit was filed on Monday in Connecticut, demanding that the Pentagon turn over its records on the toxins to which troops were exposed at the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, known as “K2,” during US operations there from 2001 to 2005. At least 15,777 US service members were deployed at the base, from which US troop transports and air strikes on targets in Afghanistan were staged. “These K2 victims have been living with this truth inside their bodies for over 20 years, and many died as that toxic truth took them to their early graves,” Kim Brooks, a board member for the Stronghold Freedom Foundation, said.

The government refuses to release the records of the toxins found at K2. The US Army Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Brooks died of a brain tumor at age 36 in 2004, less than three years after being stationed at K2. A preliminary study by the US Army found that K2 veterans were five times more likely to develop cancer. US Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said the lawsuit shows the government’s “neglect and disregard of our veterans.” He added that the list of hazardous materials to which troops were exposed at K2 is “staggering” and the neglect is stunning. The lawsuit marks just the latest controversy over exposure of US service members to carcinogens and other toxins.

The Pentagon acknowledged last month that US military pilots and ground crew members have contracted various types of cancer at abnormally high rates. In February, the US Air Force expanded its investigation of cancer risks for troops stationed at the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) bases.