STEALH TOXICS

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

STEALTH TOXICS

A jury awarded thirty-eight former workers at Lockheed's famed "Skunk
Works," in Burbank, California, nearly $790 million as a result of toxic
chemical exposures they received while working in the Stealth fighter
program. According to the Associated Press (August 8, 1998), the jury
first set compensatory damages at $25.4 million, and then it awarded a
massive $760.6 million in punitive damages. "The workers blames the
chemicals for health problems ranging from headaches and skin rashes to
terminal cancer."

The defendants in this case were five chemical suppliers: Exxon, Shell,
Unocal, Ashland, and DuPont. In 1992, 640 plaintiffs reached a $33
million settlement with Lockheed.

If other, similar cases are any indication, it is likely that future
legal action will both reduce and delay the awards.

Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org