Ark. Defendants Say Industry as a Whole Shouldn't Be Blamed For Arsenic
ARKANSAS - Broad references to the "poultry industry'' have no place in a case in which specific companies are accused of arsenic pollution in Arkansas, defense lawyers say.They have asked a judge to bar plaintiffs from using such an all-encompassing term at an upcoming court hearing. The poultry companies named in the lawsuit - including Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc. - want the plaintiffs to prove a specific company caused health problems, not the poultry industry in general.
The companies argue that the plaintiffs are trying to blame the entire poultry industry to avoid the task of trying to prove that a specific company caused the arsenic pollution.
Plaintiffs claim that a substance used to enhance chicken growth, Roxarsone, has resulted in high arsenic levels in the Prairie Grove area. The plaintiffs say that after litter degrades, the air's arsenic level increases, which can cause cancer and other health problems.
Source: Insurance Journal
27 July 2006
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