Spartanburg Neighborhood Files Toxic Tort Against Chemical Plant

A neighborhood in Spartanburg, SC is filing a toxic tort class action lawsuit against a chemical plant that has allegedly leeched chemicals into the groundwater for decades.

The lawsuit, filed the week of January 20th in federal court, alleges that Hoechst Celanese, a local polyester manufacturing plant, polluted the groundwater and streams around its plant in Spartanburg for decades, causing a cluster of cancer cases because of the toxic chemicals.

The toxic tort case was filed on behalf of residents within 2 miles of the plant, and seeks damages as well as a health monitoring program for community members and paid for by the chemical plant.

“Every time I came to visit my mom and dad, it was, ‘Oh guess who’s sick, guess who has cancer, guess who’s dying,’ ” said Lisa Nielsen, who grew up in the community.

However, Hoechst Celanese claims that there is no basis for the toxic tort. The company claims that state and federal environmental officials studied rates of cancer and other diseases in the area around the Spartanburg plant, and in 2011 issued a report stating that there was no link between chemicals from the plant, and there was no cluster of cancers or diseases in the area.

“Simply put, the environmental conditions at the Spartanburg plant site have not caused adverse health effects or a loss of property values in the nearby residences,” Celanese spokesman Travis Jacobsen wrote in an email to the Spartanburg Herald.

The company also claims that it has always followed existing environmental regulations. However, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) states on its website that many current, and more rigorous, regulations did not exist when the chemical factory was founded in Spartanburg in 1966.

Soil and groundwater contaminants related to the factory were discovered in the area in 1990, and mitigation efforts began in 1996. Several years later, evidence of groundwater contamination remained, so solutions were pumped into the groundwater to disperse or dissolve the chemicals. In 2011, DHEC tested private groundwater wells for the first time and found that contaminants from the site were also in the drinking water.

Nielsen says that the neighborhood is currently on city water, but it used ground water wells for several decades before switching.

“I think because there has been such a stink made about this, they monitor it a little more closely, but my answer to that is too little, too late,” Nielsen said.

Toxic Tort Litigation in South Carolina

Toxic tort cases can be challenging. There are often multiple parties at fault and any legal claim must consider all avenues of potential liability making it extremely important to select a toxic tort law firm with experience necessary to successfully pursue a claim.

Exposure to toxic substances can have life long effects.   Whether you have been exposed to:

• toxic substances on the job,
• pesticides,
• Exposure to contaminated ground water or air,
• Exposure resulting from accidental spills or improper disposal of toxic waste,
• Household chemicals including disinfectants,
• Industrial chemicals including solvents,
• toxic medical products and devices or
• Exposure to radiation

The toxic tort attorneys at The Strom Law Firm, LLC are here to help you obtain the compensation that you deserve.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Toxic Tort and Class Action Lawsuits

If you or a loved one were exposed to a toxic leak or substance and suffered injury, contact the toxic tort attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. to discuss your situation in more detail and for further information about our practice. We welcome co-counsel opportunities and regularly accept referrals in toxic tort cases from lawyers practicing in other parts of the country. We also offer free, confidential consultations so you can discuss the facts of your case safely and with impunity. Contact us for help today. 803.252.4800