By Clark Mindock
(Reuters) - Neighbors of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Wednesday sued the airport's operator and two airlines over jet pollution they said is making them sick and damaging their properties.
In a proposed class action lawsuit filed in Washington state court, residents who live within five miles of the airport claimed pollution including benzene and lead from jets taking off and landing has caused a spike in cancer and heart disease rates, and contaminated their homes.
The residents asked for an order forcing the Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines (NYSE:DAL) to establish a fund for medical monitoring to help screen for diseases. They also want the court to order the defendants to pay to clean up their properties, which an attorney representing them estimated could cost over $1 billion.
“Businesses and government agencies should not shower harmful pollutants on people’s homes with impunity,” the lawsuit said.
A representative for the Port of Seattle said the airport and its tenants follow strict federal, state and local requirements that address environmental issues like air quality and noise. The representative also said they voluntarily “go above and beyond” those requirements.
Representatives for the airlines didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The Seattle-Tacoma airport is located south of the city of Seattle, and is the primary commercial air hub for the region.
The lawsuit claims that as many as 300,000 people live within five miles of the airport, including 60,000 children. The majority of those residents are of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American or Pacific islander heritage, despite those groups only making up one-third of the overall county’s population, according to the complaint.
The case is Codoni v. Port of Seattle, Superior Court of the State of Washington in and for the County of King, No. not yet available.
For the residents: Steve Berman, Sean Matt, Thomas Loeser, and Shelby Smith of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro
For the airlines and Port of Seattle: Not yet available