South Jersey residents sue chemical companies over 'public health catastrophe'
A local battle against toxic chemicals polluting water, soil and air in parts of South Jersey is going to federal court, as multiple lawsuits are being prepared alleging that chemicals emitted by two industrial plants caused birth defects, cancers and other illnesses in dozens of people.
Four of the suits against a total of five companies have been filed in federal court for the District of New Jersey over the last year, and “dozens” more are expected soon, said a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
“You really have a witches’ brew exposing a population for years and decades. It’s a public health catastrophe,” said attorney Steven Phillips in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.
The plaintiffs are families in Carneys Point, Pennsville, Pedricktown, and nearby in Salem County who have claimed that their illnesses are the result of environmental contamination from the plants that include heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury, and solvents like benzene and toluene. Targeted too are PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) also known as “forever chemicals,” which are linked to a range of serious illnesses and are increasingly subject to state oversight.
Read more: https://www.njspotlight.com/2021/05/south-jersey-dozens-lawsuits-federal-court-pfas-heavy-metals-salem-gloucester-counties-witches-brew-dupont-chemours-solvay-arkema-3m-carneys-point/