Suit Says Lockheed Workers Harmed by Toxic Chemicals

Lockheed Corp. has been served with a class-action lawsuit on behalf of at least 150 employees who allege that exposure to toxic chemicals at the company’s Burbank plant caused them severe health problems.

An attorney who filed the suit said five of those workers have died as a result of the exposure, but he did not give details of the deaths.

Lockheed officials, confirming that they had received notice of the suit, declined to comment on it.

The suit, the latest in a series of lawsuits on behalf of employees exposed to the chemicals, alleged that the employees were exposed to toxic chemicals that are used in the making of high-tech aircraft, said an attorney for the employees, Timothy A. Larson.

The suits have alleged that the corporation knew the chemicals to be toxic.

Because of the exposure, the workers suffered skin discoloration, soreness, rashes, cancer of various organs and other related diseases and disorders, the suits alleged.

The chemicals included methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride, isopropyl alcohol and phosphoric acid.

Larson said there was a range of injuries among the employees named in the suit.

“Some of them are just psyched out and scared,” he said. “They’re looking around and watching their buddies drop all around them, and they’re wondering whether they’re going to be next.”

The class-action suit was an extension of a lawsuit filed almost two years ago

alleging that Lockheed failed to provide protective equipment or ventilation for employees working with the chemicals and had put false labels on containers storing the chemicals.

The International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents approximately 8,000 union members at Lockheed’s Burbank and Palmdale plants, announced Friday an “expanded investigation” into charges by its members that Lockheed’s use of chemicals and composite materials was causing health problems ranging from dizziness to loss of memory.

“The union has been conducting investigations of worker complaints on a case-by-case basis,” union President Bryan Carver said. “We’ve also conducted thorough inspections of the Lockheed facility whenever a worker complains about a health- or safety-related problem.”

Carver said the union planned to consult with medical experts familiar with illnesses related to exposure to chemicals. He added that the union had already obtained numerous reforms from Lockheed related to proper ventilation of facilities and formal protection from exposure to toxic composites, Carver said.

John Carpenter, the health and safety coordinator of the union’s Local 727, said grievances related to toxic poisoning have been filed against Lockheed. Union officials did not elaborate on how many grievances had been filed.

The suit seeks unspecified damages.