ELKHART — They put their lives on the line for their country, now some Indiana soldiers say an American company knowingly put their health at risk. Sixteen Indiana National Guardsmen say the Texas company KBR Incorporated knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a cancer-causing dust in Iraq.

Three of the soldiers are from our area. One is a security guard at Notre Dame, the other is a police officer in Bourbon and the third works at Geocel in Elkhart.

When 39-year-old Jody Aistrop talks about his experiences in Iraq, you don't expect to hear the worst of his war injuries may not have happened yet.

"There's lots of guys that are really messed up over this," he told WSBT.

Aistrop says his bloody noses recently stopped, and his rashes went away, but he worries he might get breathing problems or lung disease, like some of the other soldiers he worked with in Iraq.

In 2003, Aistrop deployed to Iraq with the Tell City, Indiana National Guard unit. Part of their mission was providing security for contractors from Texas company KBR Inc. while they repaired a water treatment plant in Iraq.

"Over time, people started showing symptoms which we now know was related to the sodium dichromate," Aistrop said.

The National Guardsman also told WSBT he didn't find out he had been exposed to the cancer-causing dust hexavalent chromium until five years later. The Guard notified him last June. Wednesday, 16 soldiers and their attorneys issued a lawsuit against KBR, alleging the company knew about "months of unprotected, unknowing, direct exposure to one of the most potent carcinogens and mutagenic substances known to man.

"They were successful in hiding those dangers for years until it came out recently in a Senate hearing in June at which time it was requested the soldiers be notified of the dangers of this chemical," said one of the soldiers' attorneys, David Cutshaw from Cohen & Malad in Indianapolis.

According to the lawsuit, one of the biggest dangers is cancer.

"We now have a 1 in 5 chance to have cancer," said Jody Aistrop. "I mean you put five pieces of paper in a hat, I could pull one out [and find out] I have cancer."

Those are odds his 15-year-old daughter Kathryne just can't accept.

"I really love my dad," Kathryne said. "And for him to be gone would really upset me because I lost him once when he went over [to Iraq] and I don't want to lose him again."

Aistrop said he does not feel betrayed by the government, but he does feel betrayed by KBR. He said the company knew a chemical was at the water plant the whole time.

In an e-mail to WSBT, KBR spokesperson Heather Browne wrote, "KBR's commitment to the safety and security of all employees, the troops and those we serve is the company's top priority. We deny they assertion that KBR harmed troops and was responsible for an unsafe condition."

See photos filed as part of the lawsuit (pdfs):