A jury in St. Louis has awarded $358.5 million to sixteen children who suffered injuries when they were exposed to
dangerous amounts of lead from a nearby smelting plant.
According to Reuters, Fluor Corporation, Alpha Natural Resources Inc., and Doe Run Investment Holding Co. would pay $320 million in punitive damages, and $38.5 million to compensate them for
health issues and lost lifetime wages.
The children range from 11 to 26 years old and alleged that emissions from the Herculaneum, Missouri based smelting plant caused them injuries including ADD and lowered I.Q.s.
According to AboutLawsuits.com, the complaint alleged that the owners of the plant
released lead air pollution knowing about the potential health risks. It also says that they failed to ensure emission levels were safe and failed to alert the public about the potential risk of lead poisoning.
Fluor Corp. plans to appeal the verdict.
--------
Over the past few decades, there have been significant measures taken to reduce
the risk of poisoning through exposure to lead. Our cars are now required to run
on unleaded gasoline. The use of lead-based paint is now banned.
We have
limited our exposure to lead for a good reason: lead is a toxic substance that
can adversely affect brain development in children, damage the nervous system or
kidneys, or even result in death.
We now know that children suffer from permanent brain damage with even extremely
small amounts of lead in their blood. The American Academy of Pediatrics calls
the situation unacceptable and has called for more action to eliminate this
problem once and for all. Children suffer greatly from exposure to lead.
- In large doses, this toxin can cause permanent physiological damage, but
even in small doses, the effects can last a lifetime.
- Brain and nerve function in young victims can severely alter a child’s
ability to learn and perform.
- Teachers reported that students with elevated tooth lead concentrations were
more inattentive, hyperactive, disorganized, and less able to follow
directions.
- Additional follow-up of some of those children showed higher rates of
failure to graduate from high school, reading disabilities, and greater
absenteeism in the final year of high school.
- Elevated bone lead concentrations are associated with increased attention
dysfunction, aggression, and delinquency.
Over the years, Richard Serpe has gained a reputation as being a fierce advocate
for the rights of those who have suffered from the careless pollution of their
environments.
He made history in
Virginia when he received a $2,000,000 verdict, which is the largest verdict in the state
for a victim of lead poisoning. He has successfully argued for his
clients before state and federal courts and has dedicated his career to helping
the victims of environmental poisoning receive fair and just
treatment.
If your children have suffered from lead poisoning, and you
feel that your needs and concerns are not being taken
seriously,
contact the Law Offices of Richard Serpe for a
free legal consultation today.