Lawsuit by a father in Indiana targets polluters

[Mithreal]

By Charles Wilson, Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — Ron Kurth grew up in Gary and worked in the steel mills, and he raised his family in the region near the outskirts of Chicago. And he always wondered about the smoke and smog that overcast the Lake Michigan shoreline. "It's just a horrible atmosphere ... bringing a family up in this area," he said.

Kurth, who has a 16-year-old daughter who attends high school in Crown Point, decided someone ought to do something about the pollution, and Wednesday, he did. He filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter against 11 northwest Indiana industries, including U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal, claiming the air pollution they emit from their smokestacks endangers the long-term health of Lake County children. The lawsuit seeks class action status on behalf of thousands of the county's schoolchildren.

Kurth, who retired from the Lake County Police Department after 33 years, has two sons and another daughter who attended local schools. He said he grew tired after seeing and reading about pollution for years with no one seeming to do anything.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/states/indiana/2009-03-25-4136819262_x.htm

I have driven by Gary, Indiana a few times and I cannot imagine how we tolerate such pollution. Maybe this lawsuit will mean better days are ahead for the residents and those downwind. Cheers to those families taking a stand.