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Complaint: B.Braun exposed neighbors to cancer risk
Dawn Ouellette Nixon//March 10, 2020
A class-action lawsuit alleges people living near Allentown’s B.Braun Medical Inc., plant were exposed to large amounts of harmful ethylene oxide gas, putting them at a higher risk of cancer than average.
The suit, filed on behalf of Mourad Abdelaziz and others by Morgan & Morgan, a Philadelphia-based law firm, accuses the medical equipment manufacturer of releasing the colorless, odorless gas from its plant at 901 Marcon Blvd. over several decades. The complaint says those exposed to the gas could be 18 times more likely to develop cancer than the average American.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies ethylene oxide as a carcinogen.
B.Braun’s plant uses large volumes of the gas to sterilize medical equipment, according to the complaint. The gas is then released into the air.
B.Braun could not be reached for comment.
The plaintiffs, who are demanding a jury trial, are seeking compensatory damages, including the cost of a program for medical monitoring and health screenings.
