New Suit Accuses Lockheed of Causing Health Problems

Another group of Burbank residents has taken legal action against Lockheed Martin Corp., alleging that decades of toxic emissions and dumping at a manufacturing plant have caused cancer and other health problems and degraded property values.

In a lawsuit filed this week in Burbank Superior Court, more than 500 people living near the aerospace firm’s defunct B-1 plant allege that for years Lockheed failed to inform them that it was discharging Chromium 6, a known carcinogen, and other chemicals into the air and ground.

The suit alleges that Lockheed knew of the dangers posed by the chemicals but covered up the extent to which they were used, and that many residents now suffer health problems because of the company’s negligence.

Allan Sigel, a Westwood attorney representing the residents, said many of his clients have suffered from cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems, autoimmune disorders and other illnesses that may have been caused by exposure to Lockheed chemicals.

The new lawsuit follows a federal class-action case filed by attorney Patrick Grannan in August. That action sought property and medical damages for a separate group of residents.