According to reports, the family of a deceased refinery worker recently filed a lawsuit against the worker’s former employer, Texaco. Although 14 other corporations have been named in the lawsuit, Texaco is serving as the primary defendant. The refinery worker’s life was taken at an early age due to cancer and the family claims that the cancer was wrongfully caused.

Lawsuit Details

The lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs Kelly Dial and Wesley Maida, who are the children of the deceased worker, Samuel Maida Jr. According to the suit, Samuel worked for Texaco at its Port Arthur facility for several years before the 1970’s when the risks of benzene were discovered.

Samuel was allegedly exposed to benzene, a known carcinogen, during his time at Texaco but was not warned of the risks or protected in any way. As a result, his health was jeopardized and his life was taken at any early age. The company reportedly failed to warn any of their workers of the dangers of benzene and the suit states that they were negligent and should have been aware that their products were dangerous and contained benzene.

Man Suffers from Leukemia

As a result of the benzene exposure, Samuel spent the last months of his life suffering from leukemia before it suddenly took his life. Among the other defendants named in the suit are Chevron, Dow Chemical, and PPG Industries.

Samuel’s family claims that he suffered extreme mental anguish and physical impairment before his life was taken. His family also reportedly had to pay thousands in medical expenses, suffered from loss of companionship and lost wages due to their sudden loss.

“Such Defendants have not only demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice human beings such as Samuel Maida Jr., but they have inexcusably neglected to utilize available technology and methods and neglected to develop new technology and methods to control such hazards,” claims the suit.

According to recent reports, Lyondell Chemical Company has been asked by Houston Mayor Bill White to participate in a public hearing regarding the accusations brought against them for emitting benzene. Benzene is a known carcinogen and the company, which is the city’s largest refinery, is being accused of emitting large amounts of the chemical into the air.

The TCEQ, the agency who monitors Texas’ air quality, brought about the allegations against Lyondell. A spokesman for the agency claims the refinery is one of the country’s largest dischargers of benzene. Lyondell reportedly has the highest emission of benzene per barrel of products, in comparison to other refineries across the country.

Not the First Time

This is not the first time allegations of benzene exposure have been brought again Lyondell. In 1997, high amount of benzene were being emitted from the refinery provoking Gov. George Bush’s Anti-Pollution Program. At this time the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention reported that Lyondell was responsible for emitting 8,069 tons of benzene into Houston’s air.

“If the company believes that it’s just fine to put tons and tons of benzene in the air… then we would like to hear what scientific evidence they have that benzene is good for you,” White told reporters.

The mayor is hoping the hearing will help establish a benchmark for benzene emission in the state of Texas, where there currently isn’t one. Currently, the only pollution guideline in Texas is for the air toxin discharge based on the known risk that it would lead to one additional cancer case per 100,000 population. However, if the hearing doesn’t go as anticipated, Lyondell could continue to operate for at least 10 more years.