First responders are suing a chemical plant near Houston after they got sick from fumes that the company said were safe to breathe
First responders who worked to evacuate the region around the Arkema chemical plant fire near Houston are suing the facility after they were left "doubled over vomiting" from fumes Arkema claimed were not "toxic or harmful in any manner," the Houston Chronicle reports. The Arkema plant was left dangerously flooded from the torrential rains of Hurricane Harvey.
Several refrigerated-truck containers of volatile organic peroxides exploded last week after cooling systems failed, sending up dark plumes of smoke. The seven responders are demanding at least $1 million for what they call "gross negligence" and Arkema's willful ignorance of the "foreseeable consequences of failing to prepare" for a disaster like Harvey.
The suit alleges:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The chemical fire at Arkema is under ongoing investigation. Federal regulations governing chemical plant safety haven't been updated since 1992, and experts say that the decisions to upgrade plants to the latest safety technology are mostly voluntary.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
All the comedians to see on tour this spring
The Week Recommends Ten stand-up tours guaranteed to make you spit out your drink
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US
-
Magazine interactive crossword - April 5, 2024
Issue - April 5, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - April 5, 2024
Issue - April 5, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published