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| Crestline Windows responsible for Wisconsin Contamination. |
A product called Penta that was used at a
former windows factory in Wausau, Wisconsin is being blamed for deaths and
illnesses by people who lived near the factory, according to this report
in WSAW.com.
From 1946 to 1986, the Crestline Windows
factory made windows near the 3M plant at Thomas Street, and it used Penta in
its operations at 910 Cleveland Ave. to treat wood products, according to this abstract
in The Judicial Review. Penta has a number of chemicals in it "including
dioxins, pentachlorophenol, and benzene." A lawsuit against the current
owners of the Crestline property claims Penta was routinely spilled and dumped
at the factory and contaminated the soil, water and air. In fact, removal wells
have pulled more than 150,000 gallons of the chemical from groundwater since
1990. Those operations have been completed since no appreciable levels of Penta
are being found anymore.
Over the years, six people have died and
about 70 others claim to be suffering from a range of illnesses. The people
worked at the factory or lived in the River Street neighborhood. Seventy-three
of the 144 plaintiffs don't currently have any illnesses but they are asking
for the costs of monitoring their health to be covered by the current owners of
the site. The case is bound for the state's supreme court and could be a
landmark case in Wisconsin by setting the precedent that people can get relief
for the costs of monitoring their health after they have been exposed to
dangerous chemicals. Other states already have taken up cases about medical
monitoring claims with awards sometimes being made.
1 comment:
It's possible the contamination in the River Street neighborhood was caused by chemicals in an old dumpsite adjacent to the homes. A 1963 USGS topographical map shows "Sewage Disposal" where the Wausau Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently operating at 435 Adrian Street. Wastewater treatment plants are often built on top of closed dumps (landfills). Research of previous land-use of the neighborhood needs to be done before assuming Crestline Windows is responsible for the contamination and illnesses in the River Street neighborhood.
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