BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) — A group of Southern Tier residents and businesses is suing IBM Corp. over more than $100 million in claims for environmental damage — including birth defects and cancer — they say was caused by pollution from the company's former microelectronics plant in Endicott.
Lawyers say the claim filed Thursday in state Supreme Court involves a subterranean plume of the industrial solvent trichloroethylene that is penetrating nearby homes and shops as a toxic vapor.
The plume was detected in 2003. Exposure to TCE is linked to illnesses ranging from cancer to brain damage, although harmful exposure levels are still uncertain.
