Oregon Residents File Toxic Chemical Class Action Against Recognized Polluter
A new lawsuit brought by a group of Oregon residents claims that Precision Castparts has released heavy metals and toxic chemicals into public areas. The class action complaint claims that the residents have been exposed to “hot spots” of these carcinogenic materials. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit alleges that the company, which makes aircraft parts and engine parts, has emitted substances like arsenic and nickel, thereby contaminating businesses, homes, and public areas. If an individual is exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic and nickel, a number of devastating health conditions may result, including lung damage, nerve damage, and birth defects.
The complaint states that roughly 5,000 homes within the area have been exposed to toxic chemicals and that they will continue to suffer this exposure even if the company ceases its allegedly tortious activity. The named plaintiffs consist of four individuals who each live within one mile of the defendant’s business location. They allege that they have been deprived of the use and enjoyment of the area surrounding their homes as a result of the airborne contamination and that they have incurred damages as a result of having to purchase air filtration systems.
In a 2013 study performed by the University of Massachusetts, the company was deemed the worst industrial air polluter in the United States. Both the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Forest Service have issued studies that name the defendant as one of the biggest polluters in Portland, stating that the company was responsible for much of the contamination in the citywide area. To reach this conclusion, the agencies performed tests on samples of moss from trees within the area. Since moss absorbs ambient pollutants from the surrounding air, it is a good indicator of the amount of toxic chemicals in the air.