Lake County, Indiana Parents Sue Refineries, Chemical Plants for Harmful Emissions According to Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro
March 25 2009 - 3:45PM
PR Newswire (US)
Lawsuit claims air quality around East Chicago schools poses a
significant threat to children. GARY, Ind., March 25 /PRNewswire/
-- A group of parents today filed a class-action lawsuit against 11
of Lake County, Indiana's worst air-pollution emitters including
United States Steel (NYSE:X) and ArcelorMittal USA Inc. (NYSE:MT)
claiming the companies foul the region's air with toxic pollutants
to such a degree that children in the area could face life-long
development and health issues. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080317/AQM144LOGO) Parents
filed the suit after a series of studies revealed children in Lake
County - which includes the heavily industrialized cities of East
Chicago and Gary - are exposed to higher levels of airborne toxins
including cadmium, manganese and lead than elsewhere in the United
States. The studies show exposure to these toxic emissions during
childhood can lead to increased risk of cancer, damage to
developing lungs and other organs, damage in the development of the
respiratory, nervous, endocrine and immune systems, as well as
behavioral problems, and mental disabilities. "The plight of these
children is nothing short of a healthcare crisis for those living
in this area," said lead attorney and HBSS managing partner Steve
Berman. The Political Economy Research Institute, joined by USA
Today, concluded that the air quality in Lake County, Indiana is
among the worst in the country, and that school-aged kids in the
region inhale or ingest more toxins than nearly any other area in
the U.S. According to the research, of air quality outside 127,800
schools nationwide, four of the schools in East Chicago, Indiana -
including Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin
Elementary School, East Chicago Lighthouse, and Eugene Field
Elementary School - ranked in the first percentile, the most toxic
air in the nation. No East Chicago school ranks above the sixth
percentile in the study, the suit states. Berman noted that
children are at an increased risk of the effects of airborne toxins
and need long-term medical monitoring. "A child, running and
playing can take in as much as 50 percent more air through their
lungs than an adult doing the same activity," Berman noted. "We
have no way of knowing the long-term effects of these
contaminants." "Air they breathe today could cause asthma or lung
cancer 10 years down the line," Berman added. Berman also noted
that the population of Lake County is economically disadvantaged,
with about 12 percent of the residents living below the poverty
line. "Most people in Lake County don't have the ability to pull up
their stakes and move away to find a healthy place to raise their
kid; they are stuck there," Berman added. "Regardless of how poor
they are, we think Lake County children should have the right to
breathe air that won't make them ill, or worse." Ron Kurth, a
parent from Lake County city Crown Point filed the suit in Lake
County Superior Court on behalf of all the region's residents whose
children have attended Lake County schools. In addition to medical
monitoring, the suit asks the court to order a public awareness
campaign about the dangers of these chemicals, air quality
monitoring throughout Lake County and a citizen advisory board to
allow continued input on the medical monitoring program. If you
have a child attending school in Lake County, you can contact
attorneys at (708) 776-5600. You can also join this lawsuit online
at http://www.hbsslaw.com/lakecounty or by e-mailing . Additional
defendants in this case include Dover Chemical Corporation, The
Marley-Wylain Company, Pollution Control Industries, Rhodia Inc.,
UGN Inc., Union Tank Car Company, and HARSCO Corporation
(NYSE:HSC). About Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro Hagens Berman Sobol
Shapiro is based in Seattle with offices in Chicago, Boston, Los
Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and New York. Since the firm's
founding in 1993, it has developed a nationally recognized practice
in class action and complex litigation. Among recent successes,
HBSS has negotiated a pending $300 million settlement as lead
counsel in the DRAM memory antitrust litigation; a $340 million
recovery on behalf of Enron employees which is awaiting
distribution; a $150 million settlement involving charges of
illegally inflated charges for the drug Lupron, and served as
co-counsel on the Visa/Mastercard litigation which resulted in a $3
billion settlement, the largest anti-trust settlement to date. HBSS
also served as counsel in a $850 million settlement in the
Washington Public Power Supply litigation and represented
Washington and 12 other states in lawsuits against the tobacco
industry that resulted in the largest settlement in the history of
litigation. For a complete listing of HBSS cases, visit
http://www.hbsslaw.com/. CONTACTS: Elizabeth A. Fegan (708)
776-5600 Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro Mark Firmani (206) 443-9357
Firmani + Associates Inc.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080317/AQM144LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro
CONTACT: Elizabeth A. Fegan of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro,
+1-708-776-5600, ; or Mark Firmani of Firmani + Associates Inc.,
+1-206-443-9357, , for Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro Web Site:
http://www.hbsslaw.com/
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