Residents living in St. Francis, Milwaukee County in Wisconsin have filed a lawsuit against a nearby industrial barrel refurbishing plant, claiming that the facility is spewing toxic fumes over their communities.
Locals Michael Tennessen, Deborah Kessel and Robert Kress alleged that Greif – the parent company of the plant – is guilty of negligence for failing to improve operations following the recommendations of a safety consultant.
Celebrate excellence in insurance. Join us at the Insurance Business Awards in Chicago.
Journal Sentinel reported that the three residents filed a class-action complaint in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The attorneys of the three will seek to have Circuit Judge Stephanie Rothstein certify the complaint as a class action, which would allow other individuals who have been affected by the noxious exhausts to join.
The suit proposes to allow residents with similar complaints within a one-mile ring around the plant to join the suit. To date, the suit seeks unspecified damages.
“I am proud of Robert, Debbie and Mike for stepping forward to take on this big company,” said attorney Michael Lueder, representing one of the claimants. “These folks just want to be able to let their kids and grandkids enjoy the yard on a sunny day. They want to invite guests for barbecues without embarrassment. They want to hang their clothes out on the line and pull them down smelling fresh, and not like unpleasant chemicals.”
The plant, located in the 3900 block of S. Pennsylvania Ave., is known locally as Mid-America. It is one of several other similar plants that are operated by Container Life Cycle Management, a joint venture majority owned by Greif.
An investigative report by Journal Sentinel published in February found that the plant and Container Life Cycle Management’s other facilities in Oak Creek, Milwaukee and three other states all had workplace safety hazards. Plant workers said that chemicals were often mixed together, which caused dangerous reactions that resulted in both chemical and heat-related burns, exploding barrels, breathing difficulties, and other health risks.
Following the report, EPA agents later interviewed residents near the St. Francis plant to get to the bottom of the issue and the investigators themselves reported experiencing health problems of their own.
Related stories:
This “often neglected” pollution insurance should be a must-have
Hotel group fined for improper hazardous waste disposal
.jpg)
