Tucson, AZ: (Jan-24-08) Over 270 people filed suits for damages against Tucson-based copper producer Asarco LLC, alleging that the years of pollution from the copper smelter caused serious illness in the community. The town of Hayden, about 70 miles north of Tucson, is still being proposed as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency because of potentially toxic levels of arsenic and lead in the soil and air. Sources stated that a class action suit was brought against the company, but was dismissed in 2003.
In a recent development in the case, company officials stated that the company agreed to give the claimants a $4.8 million unsecured claim to resolve the lawsuits. Company spokespersons said that in all, the company reached settlements worth $27.8 million with people in three states who demanded more than $1 billion from the copper-mining company for personal injuries and property damages. Additionally, Asarco has offered to conduct the cleanup instead of having the process overseen by the EPA, which would then bill the company. [
