A second lawsuit has been filed over contamination from the Wood River Oil Refinery in Roxana, Ill.
In the suit, Roxana property owners allege that carcinogenic chemicals, including benzene, released from the refinery have contaminated their properties.
The property owners are seeking compensation for the alleged damage.
Last month, the Village of Roxana filed a similar lawsuit against Shell Oil, ConocoPhillips, and WRB Refining. That suit alleges that benzene and other toxic chemicals have contaminated village property, including streets, ground water, and the Public Works Yard.
Derek Brandt is an attorney with the Simmons Firm, one of several representing the plaintiffs. “This is a small, friendly community of fewer than 2,000 people,” Brandt said of Roxana. “The refinery’s contamination of their properties puts these people in an incredibly unfair position.”
The Village of Roxana is approximately 20 miles northeast of downtown St. Louis.
