US Dumping Toxic Waste in Iraq

According to the London-based news source called The Times, millions of pounds of toxic chemicals have been dumped in Iraq by the US military.

The Pentagon requires that all waste created by Americans in an occupied country be shipped back to the US or properly recycled. However, American bases in five Iraqi provinces are dumping waste locally rather than obeying the Pentagon's rules. Because of this, waste is now cluttering streets and places where children normally play.

In both the north and the west, open acid containers sit within reach of any unknowing man, woman, or child. Multiple 55-gallon drums of engine oil are also disposed of improperly, some are even leaking. Discarded batteries have also been found, including in places near irrigated farmland. These toxic materials could get into the local water supply.

A Pentagon document, dated 2009, states that there is "an estimated 11 million pounds of hazardous waste" produced by the US military in Iraq.

Iraqis who work and live near the toxic waste have developed rashes and blistering on their hands and feet, and some have developed respiratory problems. One Iraqi was reported to have claimed his doctor told him his rashes and blisters were from the waste. There have even been reports of dead rats near the waste dumps.

One scrap-yard owner, who didn't know he was buying contaminated metal, said of his workers "… many quit work. So when I get this kind of material now I bury it somewhere far away."

Most toxic American waste can be found in the areas where the most fighting took place, such as Baghdad, Fallujah, and Mosul. The labels on much of the waste read: "hazardous waste—federal laws prohibit improper disposal"; "keep out of reach of children"; "no smoking within 50ft"; "caution—hazardous waste"; and "flammable liquid."

The dumping of toxic materials in Iraq is entirely criminal, and we should not turn a blind eye to it. Clearly the invasion of Iraq was carried out for the interests of big business and not the Iraqi people. The USA must leave Iraq immediately, pay for the environmental clean up, and pay reparations to the people of Iraq for the damage it has caused.