FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A new lawsuit raises questions about the source of a rare cancer in Fresno.
Warren Paboojian is suing Fresno County after he says 10 people, including a retired judge, developed blood cancer after working in the criminal courthouse between 1966 and today.
“Yeah, I think it’s a cancer cluster. What we have at the courthouse is a cancer cluster,” Paboojian said.
The attorney says his clients all had regular exposure to an underground gas pump in the courthouse parking structure before developing cancer.
Action News obtained photos of the pump called the “Courthouse Motor Pool.”
County documents reveal it connects to a 10,000-gallon underground gas tank.
“It’s at the B-1 level,” Paboojian said. “It’s one level below the main floor.”
Paboojian says the pump and tank have leaked chemicals into the ground and produced toxic fumes in the air.
One of the chemicals is benzene, a major component of gasoline and a chemical the government says is known to cause cancer.
In a statement to Action News, county officials wrote: “The fueling station located in the garage of the Courthouse has been regularly maintained and monitored by the County and by State agencies since its installation.”
Officials say the most recent inspection was on August 8.
The county adds inspections take place weekly, monthly, and annually and says all inspections are in good standing and no items have been noted that need repair.
Paboojian says the county will not hand over any records, so Action News interviewed County Supervisor Nathan Magsig.
“I have not seen any evidence linking anything that the county has done to the cancers that have been caused,” Magsig said.
He added that the county has yet to receive the lawsuit and reiterated county gas pumps undergo regular inspections to maintain active licenses.
“All of the work that the county has done, all this monitoring, has always met with standards, and we still receive licensing from the state to be able to operate these facilities,” Magsig said.
Caught in the middle of this back-and-forth are the 10 former courthouse employees with blood cancer.
Paboojian says they are all in various stages of the disease and want compensation from the county.
Paboojian says it’s unknown how much harm the fumes and leaks from the gas station and its tanks have caused to current and former courthouse employees. He adds that limited studies were done in 1990, 2007, and 2008. However, he says the tests weren’t comprehensive enough to accurately portray the dangers of the underground fueling operation.
“This is just a glimpse in time with these 10 (clients),” said Paboojian. “I don’t know how many people have passed away at the courthouse from leukemia or non-Hodgkins (lymphoma) or MDS — we don’t know.”