© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

6 Ex-Employees At Florida State Fire College File Lawsuit

Florida State Fire College, Ocala
Facebook
Florida State Fire College, Ocala

Six former employees of the Florida State Fire College in Ocala have sued manufacturers of firefighting suppressants used at the training facility, saying they caused cancer or other diseases.

The Ocala Star-Banner reports the lawsuit filed in federal court alleges the manufacturers were negligent and purposefully hid studies showing chemicals in the suppressants were carcinogenic and dangerous to the environment.

The plaintiffs include a firefighter instructor and administrative employees who may have been exposed to hazardous chemicals through contaminated groundwater around the Ocala facility. The lawsuit says they suffered from thyroid disease, kidney disease, breast cancer and parathyroid cancer.

According to the lawsuit, hundreds of firefighters, instructors and administrative employees could have been exposed to contaminants through the college's pipes, faucets, showerheads, appliances, sinks and drinking water fountains.

The lawsuit seeks damages totaling more than $5 million (€4.38 million).

Copyright 2018 Health News Florida

You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.