A group of residents in Los Angeles County say they are all suffering from cancer due to a toxic chemical being released from a company in their area, according to a lawsuit.
Colato, who says she has no family history of cancer, had essentially chalked up her diagnosis to bad luck until, she says, she received a flier from an environmental attorney named Gary Praglin.Sterigenics, which sterilizes medical supplies, operates six blocks away from Colato’s neighborhood in the heavily industrial city of Vernon. Praglin believes ethylene oxide emitted from the company has given at least 12 Maywood residents cancer.
While ethylene oxide is classified as a carcinogen by government agencies, different studies have different findings on the chemical, according to Dr. Richard Castriotta with the USC Keck School of Medicine.