Colorado Woman Sues Halliburton for Chemical-Linked Respiratory Problems

By Alison Gonzalez

Published on June 05, 2007

Carol Back alleges that the two companies allowed dust from barite, a chemical used in natural gas drilling, to drift from its downtown loading facility and another site during transfer of the barite from railcars to trucks. Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

Exposure to barite dust has been tied to lung cancer and other respiratory ailments.

After Back and other Silt residents complained about the problem last summer, town officials suspended Halliburton’s license, prompting the company to move the barite transfer to a new site east of Silt.

According to Back’s lawsuit, in response to continuing complaints, town officials sent two letters to Halliburton asking that the company do something to end barite spillage. In October, the town temporarily suspended Halliburton’s license on the condition that the company address the problem.

The operation was shut down again in November when officials determined that Halliburton had not sufficiently abated the drifting barite.

Attorneys for Halliburton and Sanders Trucking declined to comment on the case.

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