Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Helps Iraqi Veterans Exposed to Sodium Dichromate

July 1, 2010 - Thousands of soldiers deployed to Iraq came into contact with chemicals that have had various effects on them. Some of the effects were immediately noticeable and others lingered before becoming apparent. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is currently developing a program to help these soldiers. This program focuses on soldiers who came into contact specifically with the toxic chemical sodium dichromate.

This is welcome news to the Indiana National Guard. According to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, the VA's program is following the counsel of authorities responsible for regulating exposure to sodium dichromate and the toxic chemical found within it, hexavalent chromium. Every exposed soldier will receive a complete physical with determined attention paid to their:

• Lungs;
• Nasal passages; and
• Skin.

If any of the exposed personnel are determined to have suffered lung damage, the VA will likely grant access to specialists as needed. Shinseki also offered the "highest priority" to any disability compensation claims filed based on exposure to these toxins.

This priority fully extends to any and all National Guard members who served at Qarmat Ali. This is crucial because while protecting the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant in Iraq over the summer of 2003, approximately 140 Indiana Guard members were exposed to sodium dichromate. Their more immediate symptoms included:

• Nosebleeds;
• Body rashes; and
• Persistent coughing.

To date, one Guard member has died of cancer as a direct result of his exposure. With any luck, this will be the only death resulting from exposure to these chemicals. It is a good sign the VA is stepping up early and offering help where it is owed.