Family Voices Concern About Benzene Infested Water
The Channing family of Wisconsin claims they refuse to drink the water at their home. They may cook with it and bathe in it but they refuse to drink what they claim to be water infested with benzene.
According to Joe and Kathy Channing, they recently learned that leaking tanks at an old gas station near their house has been polluting their water. However, they were later informed that the problem was being taken care of and the state was going to close the case.
They say they were puzzled as to why no one had never told them about the water which was contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen. This way especially confusing and alarming since the gas station has been close for more than ten years, which means their water may have been polluted this entire time.
“We have so many questions,” Kathy has told reporters. “But the part that gets me is if they would have told us, we would have had the opportunity to move.”
Water Causes Concern Regarding Benzene Exposure
The Channings reportedly moved to their home in 1983 and are now concerned about their long-term health considering for a majority of this time they may have been unknowingly exposed to benzene. Benzene is a carcinogen that is contained in gasoline and has been known to cause fatal illnesses like acute myeloid leukemia and other rare blood disorders. The substance is most harmful when ingested or inhaled over a long period of time.
They are also hesitant to trust state officials who are now claiming the case is “taken care of”considering they hid the problem from the family for so long. The family says they recently received a letter regarding the groundwater contamination that made its way to their property.
The letter reportedly said that the polluted groundwater was receding and would continue to dissolve over time. Though for Kathy, the letter seemed to be missing some pieces and believes that given the history of the gas station, and the governments secrecy regarding the issue, the DNR can’t know for certain whether or not the contamination is dissipating. The Channings are now looking into hiring a benzene attorney, who specializes in benzene-related cases, to help them investigate and receive compensation for the state’s negligence.
