More New York property owners join contamination lawsuit against IBM

February 6, 2008 - A second wave of legal claims seeking damages from IBM Corp. related to pollution in Endicott has been filed in state Supreme Court in Binghamton, bringing the total to more than 240 plaintiffs with more on the way.

The 82-page document representing 151 property owners and residents was filed electronically late Friday afternoon by Philip Johnson, an attorney with the Vestal law firm of Levene Gouldin & Thompson. Johnson is part of a team of seven law firms representing more than 1,000 clients in the massive toxic tort case against IBM seeking more than $100 million in damages for a range of hardships related to the pollution. They include cancer and other illnesses, property devaluation, loss of business, medical expenses and related monitoring, and hassles of dealing with the pollution.

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Officials trying to understand health impacts of vapor intrusion in Endicott New York

May 11, 2007 - Lewis-Michl works for the state Department of Health Epidemiology Division in the Community Exposure Research Section and oversaw the study of health effects in Endicott where a plume of toxic solvents has impacted about 500 homes. While that study saw elevated rates of testicular and kidney cancer, Lewis-Michl reaffirmed that there was no way to confirm whether those levels were linked to solvent exposure.

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Health study planned for IBM plant - thousands may have been exposed

"(March 28, 2007) — ENDICOTT — Federal health officials are proposing a $3.1 million study of IBM personnel records to determine the cancer rate among 28,000 employees who might have been exposed to chemicals at the Endicott plant since the 1960s." More . . .

Frightened Residents Fight on in Endicott NY

"March 23 - ENDICOTT -- Kelan Pedley, a lifelong village resident, was still recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous left kidney when she learned a few weeks ago that the malignancy had spread to her right one.

While trying to fathom the implications, the 47-year-old mother learned some other dire news last week. The state Department of Health has documented excessive rates of kidney cancer and other serious illnesses in a polluted part of the village where she has lived most of her life.

Now she is on a mission to help her neighbors and find out more." More . . .

Search for TCE Expands in New York

"This will be the fifth year of a comprehensive search for trichloroethylene (TCE) vapors in Southern Tier homes and businesses near industrial sites tainted by the common industrial solvent. But it is the first year scientists will use a slightly revised policy in determining acceptable levels of TCE finalized by the state Department of Health last month.

Consequently, some homes that might have tested positive in the past with TCE levels too low to warrant action now may qualify for systems -- paid for by the state or the responsible party -- to address the problem." More . . .

Vapor Intrusion in Endicott NY

The contamination problem in Endicott is and has been big news. To learn more just Google "vapor intrustion" and endicott.

What's amazing is that the TCE plume under this community was identified decades ago yet most residents didn't know until recently.

Here's are a couple articles about this. I'll be posting more as they come out.

• "When solvent pollution was discovered at various Southern Tier sites in the 1970s, the problem gained brief public attention. It was not unique. The chemicals, called volatile organic compounds, were common byproducts of a manufacturing golden age that improved living standards in communities throughout the country." More . . .
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  "ENDICOTT -- State policy-makers determining guidelines for acceptable human exposure to TCE didn't factor in studies that link the chemical with testicular cancer and lymphoma in animals, and other significant findings, according to a state Assembly report issued Thursday." More . . .