One month after a foul odor began in the city of Carson, blanketing surrounding communities in a rotten stench, a Carson woman says she will sue every single entity responsible.
Like thousands of others, Florence Sanchez has been suffering through the smell emanating from Caron's Dominguez Channel since Oct. 8. The odor is so offensive that both the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the city of Carson have declared local emergencies.
After identifying the issue and its effects on residents, both entities vowed to relocate residents and offer reimbursements for those who had already left their homes or purchased filtration systems to keep out odors.
But Sanchez and her family told CBS L.A. that they've felt like prisoners in their own home for a month, and they are prepared to sue every entity that could be responsible for the ongoing situation.
"Among many other companies, Sanchez accused oil refinery Marathon Petroleum for discharging hydrogen sulfide directly into the Dominguez Channel causing the smell to worsen," CBS L.A. reported.
In the suit, the family seeks damages for respiratory problems, nausea, and dizziness - all of which are symptoms acknowledged by county health officials as effects of exposure to hydrogen sulfide, the gas deemed to be the source of the stench.
Late last month, the L.A. County Department of Public Works confirmed it is investigating whether the foul odor emanating from the channel could be connected to local industrial companies' illegal dumping of chemicals.
Previously, Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said the hydrogen sulfide seemed to have been released by large-scale vegetation decay. But the department had not declared whether that decay was caused by unlawful dumping.
County and local officials will report on the latest results of the multi-agency effort to address the odor during a virtual town hall briefing on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 5:30 p.m.
To visit the county's page with all of the information regarding the Dominguez Channel incident, click here. For the latest from the city of Carson, click here.
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