$100M Awarded to BP Workers Exposed to Benzene
A federal jury recently awarded more than $100 million in a benzene lawsuit to ten former BP workers who were supposedly exposed to benzene and other toxic chemicals while employed with BP in Texas City. The workers worked at the Texas oil refinery and the award was received after the history of the refinery and its benzene issues were exposed in court.
According to reports, the benzene case was the first of an estimated 100 toxic chemical lawsuits that have been filed against BP. These lawsuits have reportedly involved 143 BP workers and residents who live near the Texas oil refinery. All of the plaintiffs there was a release of gases from the oil refinery; however, BP refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Benzene is a known carcinogen that can lead to the development of leukemia and other fatal illnesses in the case of prolonged exposure.
Benzene Exposure Sparks Lawsuit
The benzene lawsuit says that the toxic release from the refinery exposed the community and environment to benzene and other harmful chemicals like aluminum silica. As a result of the release many workers and residents claim the quality of the air noticeably changed and caused many personal injuries.
BP officials have maintained throughout the extent of the lawsuit that there was no release of benzene or any other toxic fumes in Texas City. They claimed in court that foul smell of chemicals may have blown in from another refinery in the nearby area. However, plaintiffs fought back against the corporation stating that the company failed to identify and take responsibility for about 70% of the toxic releases that occurred from the Texas City refinery.
Reports state that $10 million was awarded to the 10 plaintiffs in punitive damages and in addition the Galveston jury awarded $326,000 in compensatory damages for the personal injuries endured by the plaintiffs. The individual damage awards that went to each of the workers reportedly ranged depending on the extent of their injuries between $5,918 to $244,386. Attorneys that specialize in benzene cases reportedly represented many of the clients.