Arsenic Claims Attorneys
Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA and Delaware
Arsenic Found in Park and Yards Near Closed Factory
Yards of homes near a contaminated park in South Baltimore have been found to have high levels of arsenic according to Maryland's environmental agency; a company has been ordered to remove the poison. Arsenic dust, which is a carcinogen that has been linked to elevated lung cancer rates, is believed to have drifted from a nearby pesticide factory into nearby backyards and patios. The plant, Allied Chemical, has been closed for a long time. The dust was found in Swann Park next to the plant; the park was closed in April 2007 but has been used in the past for children's sports leagues. The arsenic levels in the park were 100 times greater than safe levels.
The plant was closed down in 1976, but when it was up and running, it manufactured pesticides such as DDT, kepone and a main ingredient in Agent Orange. The plant's contaminants were never cleaned from Swann park or surrounding neighborhoods.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has ordered Honeywell International to dig the arsenic out of seven backyards on a nearby street; Honeywell International has inherited this responsibility since its merger with Allied Chemical. Honeywell will remove the top three inches of soil in the affected yards and then cover the ground with concrete or more soil. Honeywell will pay for this and will pay for planting grass and other landscaping in the yards.
Residents claim that the merged companies of Allied and Honeywell have known about the arsenic hazard for a long time and even showed dangerous arsenic levels back in 1976. Studies by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health concluded in 1980 that arsenic dust from the plant caused lung cancer at three times the normal rates in neighborhood residents.
Obviously, residents are outraged as they have been breathing this poison for years and are not satisfied with only getting a new yard. One resident said Honeywell should have to move the families to a safer location.
Currently, the city's health department and the Maryland Department of the Environment are aggressively testing other sites to determine if more neighborhoods and parks have been affected by the poisonous arsenic dust or other hidden contaminants.
If you or a loved one has contracted lung cancer after having been exposed to the arsenic dust surrounding the former Allied Chemical plant in Baltimore, please contact the experienced injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos.
