More than 800 residents multiple communities outside Los Angeles are suing Chiquita Canyon Landfill for allegedly releasing toxic fumes that have been poisoning and sickening locals throughout 2023.
The multimillion dollar lawsuit claims that homeowners in Castaic, Santa Clarita and Val Verde have come down with serious health issues as a result of the emissions, includingrespiratory symptoms, headaches, nausea and more.
Residents from these towns surrounding the landfill said during a hearing in January 2024 that 'they have become prisoners trapped in their homes to avoid exposure' to the tainted, foul-smelling air, according to the May 21 suit.
An anonymous plaintiff who lives in Castaic said her eight-year-old daughter is constantly nauseous, KTLA reported.
'She has to walk around the house with a bucket or a bag,' the mother said. 'So whatever she can reach out to first, if she's going to vomit, is what she's going to use.'
Pictured: The 639-acre landfill that regulators and plaintiffs say is causing toxic fumes to blanket surrounding communities
Residents of towns near the landfill, including people from Castaic, show up to protest, with some demanding that the dump be shut down
The lawsuit adds that other children from schools neighboring the landfill 'are unable to enjoy their adolescent years...and have the potential to increase their risk of developing cancer.'
The 639-acre landfill, owned by Chiquita Canyon LLC, has gotten attention from local, state and federal agencies for the possible contaminants it's releasing into the air and into water.
According to the EPA, the problems with the landfill, which has been around since 1972, began in May 2022 when 'a significant subsurface oxidation event' began growing.
This oxidation event, its cause unknown, can change the composition of landfill gas so it has more 'carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organics,' the EPA said.
This is what's causing the increase in odors, and the EPA noted that residents who live around the landfill filed almost 6,800 odor complaints in 2023.
Jackie Kruger is the principal attorney representing the Castaic residents and described the smell as 'disgusting.'
'It just overcomes you,' Kruger said to KTLA. 'It just feels like you're inhaling just something disgusting.
Jackie Kruger says the odors are 'disgusting' and that if the fumes are continually released, she believes that people will come down with cancers and anemias
This graphic shows the claimed radius of how far the toxic fumes go. It stretches as far as Castaic in the north and as far as Santa Clarita in the east
Beyond the potentially poisonous gases being released, EPA officials and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control found elevated levels of the carcinogen benzene in the landfill's leachate, which is rainwater or other liquid produced by waste.
The lawsuit claims that inspectors from the California's South Coast Air Quality Management District observed leachate 'shooting into the air like a geyser.'
Benzene can be harmful to humans in drinking water or through air consumption, and according to the Los Angeles Regional Water Board, Chiquita Canyon Landfill has been disposing of around 2 to 4 million gallons of contaminated water per month for much of 2023.
'Long-term, if this continues, all kinds of blood-borne problems [can occur] including cancers, leukemias and anemias — significant issues,' Kruger said.
Chiquita Canyon only acknowledged the gas and water leaks in late 2023, the lawsuit claimed, but has allegedly knew about the hazardous spills since mid-2022 when the oxidation event first occurred.
The affected area is a roughly seven-mile radius around the landfill, and as such, a collection of California health agencies issued a summary of violations in February to the landfill for what they call 'the threatened illegal discharge of hazardous waste.'
Also in February, the EPA called the landfill an 'imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities.'
In the meantime, residents still have to deal with the terrible smells and the illnesses that come along with the chemicals in the air. They have been staging protests to demand officials take further action.
'It's pretty sad that we have to be locked in and we're not able to get fresh air,' the Castaic mother told KTLA. 'We don't go into our backyard whatsoever.'
In the wider community, outdoor activities like gardening and hiking have been halted due to the gas, according to the suit.
Kruger said that multiple things need to happen, with the first being to shut the landfill down and stop putting Los Angeles County's trash there.
Kruger's firm also wants Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in the area to fast-track relief efforts.
Finally, her firm is also suing the defendants to pay for 'medical monitoring' for her clients, who she says have the potential to develop long-term health issues from the air they're breathing.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Governor Newsom and the Chiquita Canyon LLC for comment.
