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Four new lawsuits were recently filed in a New Jersey Superior Court against the now defunct Mercer Rubber Company. Plaintiffs in the cases claim that toxic waste from one of the company's sites caused their cancer or the cancer of their deceased loved ones.
Mercer Rubber was in operation for 130 years before closing in 1993. The company manufactured rubber products, the solid waste from which was burned in the back of the Mercer Street factory, “contaminating the air in the surrounding neighborhood.”
The Complaints
According to the lawsuits, “brown goo” from the plant was dumped onto local ground and “hydraulic presses leaked large amounts of lubricating oil (similar to engine oil) which was collected” and drained into a nearby creek.
The suits also claim that odors including gasoline, rotten eggs, burning rubber, and tar emanated from the plant and that residents would have to clean black soot from their cars and homes.
“Carcinogenic and hazardous and toxic substances, including benzene , butadiene and acrylonitrile” were emitted by the plant, government agencies found. Statistics cited in the lawsuit show higher rates of brain and bladder cancers in residents in the area.
Seeking Damages
Terri Burd and Susan Fanella are both suing the company on behalf of their husbands, and Lisa Glodowski is suing on behalf of her daughter. Other plaintiffs include John Sheehan, Randall Fort, and Richard Soucey.
Their suits seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for medical costs and pain and suffering related to brain cancer, bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, and leukemia.
(Source: The Times online)
Victim of benzene exposure? Contact an attorney today to learn more about your legal rights and options.