NEW YORK - (Business Wire) It is a story heard all across the country: corporations pollute a community
’s groundwater with harmful chemicals and then try to evade responsibility. This scenario is well understood by residents of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, who recently have learned that their groundwater was contaminated by DuPont
’s operations more than 20 years ago. That
contamination is now releasing elevated levels of hazardous vapors into the homes of area residents.
“This is a community of families, many with young children, who are rightfully concerned about the safety of their homes. All too often families are placed in this unfair predicament at the hands of polluters like DuPont,” said Robin Greenwald, head of the Environmental Toxic Torts Unit at Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. (www.weitzlux.com). The firm is working together with the famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich, to help citizens fight for their right to a clean and safe environment.
Indoor air sampling tests recently taken in Pompton Lakes reveal that vapors from Tetrachloroethene (PCE), used often in the textile industry and as a component of aerosol dry-cleaning products, and Tricholorethene (TCE), used as a solvent for cleaning metal parts, are rising from the ground into people’s homes.
The E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Company’s former explosives factory is to blame for the contamination in the Northeast part of the town, reported The Record newspaper. The site is located at 2000 Cannonball Road. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, soil was contaminated at homes near Acid Brook, which drains the eastern valley and discharges into Pompton Lakes. Sediments in Acid Brook and Pompton Lakes are also contaminated.
This is not the first time Pompton Lakes residents have had to deal with a legacy of contamination by the DuPont factory. The corporation is currently engaged in a $130 million effort to clean the area of mercury, lead and solvents, The Record reported. Moreover, residents in another area of Pompton Lakes sued DuPont for similar contamination and recovered $ 38.5 million in a settlement with the company.
Meet Erin Brockovich and attorneys from the law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg (www.weitzlux.com) at a community meeting they will host to discuss these issues, answer your questions and hear your concerns: 6 p.m., October 6, 2008, Pompton Lakes High School Auditorium, 44 Lakeside Avenue, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
Weitz & Luxenberg (www.weitzlux.com) is a forerunner in the legal fight against such environmental polluters. The firm recently secured a landmark settlement against some of the country's biggest oil companies for contaminating public drinking water supplies around the country. Recently, most of defendant oil companies agreed to pay $423 million to settle suits involving the contamination of 153 public water systems nationally.
People who have been harmed by PCE, TCE or any other pollutant, can contact Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. Interested parties should visit our website, www.weitzlux.com.
About Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.
Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs' litigation law firms in America. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos/mesothelioma, defective medicines and medical devices such as Heparin, Digitek and Ortho Evra, and general negligence, among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by numerous toxins.
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Client Relations, 1-800-476-6070
clientrelations@weitzlux.com
www.weitzlux.com
