PORTLAND, Ore. — An Iraq war contractor is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by Oregon National Guard soldiers over potential health risks from a cancer-causing chemical called hexavalent chromium.Lawyers for Kellogg, Brown & Root on Monday argued the federal court in Oregon lacks jurisdiction in the case.The Houston-based company now called KBR Inc. has also been sued by guardsmen in Indiana and West Virginia.KBR and its subsidiaries won contracts to restore oil production after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, where National Guard troops were ordered to guard KBR employees as they worked to get the oil flowing.Soldiers say the contractor ignored and downplayed the health risks of hexavalent chromium, a corrosion fighter that was scattered across one facility.Related reading• Guardsmen say chemical exposure changed lives • Board: Guardsmen were not overexposed to toxin
Link: KBR wants Ore. guardsmen’s suit dismissed
