A local lawyer is hoping to help town residents figure out whether they have a case against Tonawanda Coke for benzene-related illnesses.
A meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center will allow locals to discuss their particular situations with attorneys from Collins & Brown. Charles Cobb, the attorney who spearheaded the meeting, said he believes citizens deserve answers and have legal options after breathing in toxins from the plant for decades.
An air study and follow-up tests conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental conservation and federal Environmental Protection Agency showed that Tonawanda Coke was a predominant source of the area’s high levels of carcinogen benzene, a known carcinogen. But even with a regional benzene level 75 times higher than recommended guidelines, Cobb admitted it will be a challenge to prove that the cancer local residents experience is tied to the chemicals coming from Tonawanda Coke. What their options are will take some time to assess, and the meeting is the first opportunity to evaluate the possibilities.
“These cases are extremely difficult to prove, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible,” Cobb said.
Although Cobb sits on the board of the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, he made it clear that the group is not behind this event. Erin Heaney, CAC’s executive director, said organizing individual cases against the company falls outside the group’s main objective.
“We recognize people in the community may need legal representation, but our organization doesn't work on individual legal cases,” she said. “We educate and organize the community for collective action to hold polluters accountable.”
Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.
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