Over 800 residents who live near a Los Angeles County landfill have filed a lawsuit claiming the toxic fumes are poisoning them.
The mass lawsuit, brought on by those who live nearby, claims the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic’s endless emission of toxic fumes has “led to numerous health issues including respiratory symptoms, headaches, eye irritation, skin issues, and more,” according to a report from KTLA.
Chiquita Canyon, LLC, a private company, operates the 639-acre municipal landfill.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, beginning in May 2022, the landfill has experienced a “significant subsurface oxidation event that has grown in size and impact.”
“As of January 17, 2024, the reaction area was located approximately 1,000 feet from the nearest resident,” the EPA wrote in their report. The air quality is being impacted in a roughly seven-mile radius.
The report called the landfill an “imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities.”
The EPA explained, “The leachate seeping from the reaction area contains elevated levels of benzene, a hazardous substance. Benzene can adversely affect human health through air exposure or the consumption of benzene-contaminated water. The sub-surface reaction has caused a significant increase in leachate production, which CCL failed to properly manage as hazardous waste and has not been properly treating, storing, or disposing of the leachate.”
In 2023 alone, 6,800 noxious odor complaints were made by those in the community.
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