Toxicology Experts Opine on Environmental Chemical Contamination

This case takes place in Arkansas and involves a class of plaintiffs who claim that they were exposed to a number of hazardous chemicals through pervasive environmental pollution caused by the degradation of industrial waste in public landfills. The waste includes a range of volatile industrial solvents, adhesives, as well as heavy metals and other pollutants. The waste, which was trucked in under an agreement with neighboring townships to sell space in a municipal landfill, was unprotected by a soil layer or impermeable membrane and was exposed to the elements directly, causing the pollutants to be dispersed into the surrounding landscape and groundwater via the wind and rain.

The list of substances includes volatile organic compounds that are known to cause damage to the nervous system, brain, kidneys, liver, immune system, male reproductive system and developing embryos and fetuses in humans. Chief among these substances is trichloroethylene, a common industrial solvent found in various environments, including those near military installations such as Camp Lejeune. This chemical is resistant to environmental remediation efforts due to its low solubility in water, causing it to descend below the water table. Plaintiffs allege that the pollutants from the landfill were pervasive in the local geography, and that abnormal health issues experienced by the local population were a direct result of the negligent manner in which these chemicals were disposed of. A number of experts specialize in environmental engineering, soil chemistry and geophysics were retained for the case.