Michigan Woman Seeks Wider Class in Toledo Chemical Leak Lawsuit

Kathy Thiede, who lives roughly 2.1 miles from the Toledo location of the October 20 chemical leak, has sued M.C. Tank Transport and the Kenan Advantage Group in federal court. She is seeking compensation for property-related losses, missed work and other expenses she says resulted from the incident. The lawsuit proposes representing people who live within 15 miles of the facility, a radius much wider than the emergency shelter-in-place area.

Thiede said she smelled a strong chemical odor outside her home after the emergency began on the evening of October 20. The shelter-in-place alert for parts of Michigan was issued early on October 21. The lawsuit argues that the emergency perimeter was based partly on preliminary modeling and was not meant to establish how far the release ultimately spread.

The substance released was glycidyl methacrylate. Toledo officials said it can irritate the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, and ProMedica health officials reported providing care to dozens of people with potentially related symptoms. Nearly 1,000 people within a mile of the site were ordered to evacuate, while a three-mile shelter-in-place order affected thousands more, including residents in Monroe County, Michigan. Schools and public services in the area also closed on October 21.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that its tests found no hazardous chemicals exceeding applicable screening levels. The federal case is one of several lawsuits connected to the leak; other cases remain before the Lucas County Common Pleas Court in Ohio.