Ill. Residents Complain That 3.8 Million Gallon Gasoline Plume Contaminates Homes

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Prolonged rains caused gasoline liquid and vapors to seep into the basements of plaintiffs' homes, decreasing both indoor and outdoor air quality, and prompting the residents of the neighborhood who filed the complaint to request medical monitoring for fear of cancer. Bedwell, et al. v. Apex Oil Company, et al., No. 04-L-342 (Ill. Cir. Ct., Madison Cty.).

The class complaint was filed April 13 in the Illinois Circuit Court for Madison County on behalf of Dennis Bedwell and other residents of a small town located on the Mississippi River. They allege that a neighboring refinery released nearly …