More than five dozen workers have filed suit against Gopher Resource, alleging they were harmed by high lead exposure at the Tampa, Florida, factory.
Across two separate lawsuits, 64 workers claim the company put profits over safety by failing to fix severe ventilation problems that allowed toxic lead dust to accumulate in the plant and to provide workers with proper respiratory protection.
The latest suit was filed Wednesday in Hillsborough County on behalf of 22 workers and 12 of their children. The complaint alleges dusty conditions inside Florida’s only lead smelter resulted in workers carrying lead particles to their cars and into their homes where they exposed children to the potent neurotoxin.
