14
2011
Fresno Groups Sue EPA Over Asbestos Exposure Civil Rights Complaint
FRESNO, Calif. Trucks filled with PCBs, benzene, and asbestos continue to pass within three miles of Kettleman City on their way to one of the country’s biggest toxic landfills, where they’re treated, stored or buried. That dump and another one, in Buttonwillow, are in the state’s sprawling Central Valley, while the third is to the south, just outside the hamlet of Westmorland.
A federal suit filed in Fresno, Calif., last week by a community groups alleges that the EPA has failed to respond to a 16 year old complaint within the mandated period, that these dumps have been discriminatorily placed near low income communities of color.
Environmental groups claim the case is proof of the long-standing neglect of environmental justice by previous administrations, and they argue it casts doubts on whether the administration of President Barack Obama has made it a priority.
The lawsuit alleges that the agency has engaged in “a pattern and practice” of failing to accept, reject or refer civil rights complaints and failing to issue preliminary findings in a timely manner, thus exposing poor communities of color to a disproportionate share of adverse environmental impacts.
Academic studies done in the 1980s and 1990s found that blacks and poor people were far more likely than whites to live near hazardous waste disposal sites, polluting power plants or industrial parks.
Mesothelioma is a rare, incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It is estimated that 40% of the American labor force, or an estimated 27 million people, were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1980. This large population is considered at risk for developing Mesothelioma. The Asbestos Legal Center (www.asbestoslegalcenter.org) and its principal Michael J. Mandelbrot have been representing victims of mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis for over 17 years.
The Asbestos Legal Center (www.asbestoslegalcenter.org) and the Mandelbrot Law Firm are one of the Country’s leading mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease firms. Located in San Francisco, California and representing victims of asbestos diseases throughout the Country, the Asbestos Legal Center strongly supports mesothelioma research, funding and education. Please call us at 1-800-970-DUST (3878) with any questions or comments.
