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In a class action lawsuit filed Thursday, seven Southeast Portland residents accuse Bullseye Glass Co. of polluting the air and soil for decades with carcinogenic chemicals.
The suit, filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, asks for the company to be held responsible for cleaning up its neighborhood's air and soil after the factory emitted cadmium, arsenic and chromium.
The glass factory, located in the Southeast neighborhood of Brooklyn, should also be required to install pollution controls before it begins using the chemicals again, the neighbors charge, asking that the company be forced to cover the cost of blood and urine tests for any residents within a 1.5-mile radius who want them.
The soil pollution from the carcinogenic chemicals is a particular problem for Portland residents, the lawsuit notes.
"The metals contaminate crops, particularly leafy greens grown in backyard gardens, including kale, lettuce, and broccoli, all of which are favorites of the Portland gardener," according to the lawsuit.
The state has already warned neighbors not to eat their backyard produce. State officials acknowledged last month that arsenic and cadmium air pollution at the site far exceed safety standards.
The law firm Keller Rohrback filed the suit; WW reported on Wednesday that the firm was working on legal action.
Willamette Week