The complaint alleges that in 2024 an epidemiological study by Plaintiff's expert witness found the rates of Acute Myeloid Leukemia for former Roxana Public School students were over 10 times higher than the rates of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the general public for similar age groups.

ROXANA, Ill., July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On April 22, 2024, Justin Sandbach, a resident of Alton, Illinois filed a lawsuit in Madison County, Illinois, Case No. 2021 L 833, alleging he contracted non-Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was 31 years old as a result of benzene he was exposed to as a student in the Roxana Community Unit School District #1 in Illinois.

The complaint alleges that Shell Oil Company, ConocoPhillips, and Phillips 66, among others, while operating the Wood River Refinery, released thousands of pounds of benzene and other toxic, cancer causing chemicals into the air, ground and groundwater for decades.

Roxana High School High Rates of Leukemia

The complaint alleges that in 2024 an epidemiological study by Plaintiff's expert witness found the rates of Acute Myeloid Leukemia for former Roxana Public School students were over 10 times higher than the rates of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the general public for similar age groups.

The complaint alleges that these cancer rates are consistent with a population of individuals exposed to benzene.

The complaint alleges that Shell Oil Company, ConocoPhillips, and Phillips 66, among others, while operating the Wood River Refinery, released thousands of pounds of benzene and other toxic, cancer causing chemicals into the air, ground and groundwater for decades, causing him to develop lymphoma, a type of cancer similar to leukemia.

The Roxana High School sits on the fence line of the Wood River Refinery.

The High School study results also indicate that the rates of all lymphatic and hematologic cancers, like lymphoma and leukemia, for former students under 35 years of age were higher for former Roxana Public School students than for similarly aged individuals nationwide.

Not only are students who attended Roxana High School at risk for developing cancers like these, but employees of the Roxana Public Schools and employees of the Wood River Refinery may also have a higher chance of developing lymphoma and leukemia. In fact, the lawsuit also contains data supporting its assertion that Wood River Refinery employees showed elevated leukemia rates.

Christopher Dysart from the Dysart Law Firm, P.C., based in St. Louis, Missouri, represents Sandbach. Dysart is a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Illinois and a former trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. If you are a former student of Roxanna High School, worked at Wood River Refinery, or lived near the affected geographical area; you may also be eligible to file a lawsuit or join the growing class-action suit against the company. Contact The Dysart Firm, P.C., for details. Contact The Dysart Firm, P.C., for details.

Media Contact

Chris Dysart, Dysart Law Firm P.C., 1 3145486298, cdysart@dysart-law.com, https://dysart-law.com/

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SOURCE Dysart Law Firm P.C.

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