Lymphoma Lawsuit against Oil Giant BP Ends in Settlement

By Christy Burns

Published on October 27, 2006

Detel asserted that he was exposed to dangerous pollutants from the company’s plant in Sugar Creek, Missouri, near his childhood home. According to the claim, the pollution caused him to develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 11. On Oct. 23, with the trial just weeks away, BP made the decision to settle with Detel.

Before joining with BP, Amoco ran a 430-acre refinery in Sugar Creek for 78 years. Reports from both the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency state that many leaks and spills had occurred at the refinery, spreading chemicals throughout the groundwater, sediment, and soil.

Detel is not the only Sugar Creek resident to sue the oil giant. Currently, the corporation is confronting another 31 lawsuits blaming the refinery for a wide range of devastating conditions, deaths, and terminal illnesses.

Another Sugar Creek resident, Leonard Ryan, won his case against BP in November 2005, claiming they were responsible for the leukemia that killed his wife.

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