Military lawyers sue Pentagon over Guantanamo carcinogens

Military lawyers sue Pentagon over Guantanamo carcinogens

BY MARK HENSCH - 04/12/17

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/navy/328431-military-lawyers-sue-pentagon-over-guantanamo-carcinogens

Lawyers who work at Guantanamo Bay detention center have filed a lawsuit accusing the Pentagon of failing to properly inspect health hazards at facilities there containing carcinogens.

“Although this investigation found and documented the presence of hazardous conditions and cancer-causing chemicals, ranging from formaldehyde to heavy metals and mold, the investigation is inadequate to determine how great a risk they pose to human health, much less to determine appropriate remedial measures,” lawsuit documents filed Tuesday say, according to CNN.

The lawsuit alleges the Navy conducted a “deeply flawed investigation” of environmental hazards at Guantanamo Bay’s Camp Justice.

A former military commissions attorney filed a complaint with the Department of Defense’s (DOD) inspector general in July 2015 to probe conditions at Camp Justice.

The complaint asked the DOD to examine whether conditions at the camp contributed to several cancer cases among personnel, including a former Camp Justice attorney who died of cancer in July 2015.

Tuesday’s lawsuit was filed by lawyers who work on detainees' cases for several weeks each year at the complex, CNN said.

The military lawyers involved say the DOD should properly test conditions at Camp Justice and relocate them to safer housing in the interim.

Capt. Wendy Snyder, a Navy Installations Command spokeswoman, said Tuesday her command had performed an “exhaustive” review of Camp Justice’s conditions.

“We anticipate the final report for this review will be posted to the website in the coming weeks,” she told CNN in an email.