A lawsuit has been filed against the former owners of a window manufacturer now based in Mosinee, Wisconsin. It’s alleged that six residents in Wausau were sickened or had their property damaged by pollutants that leaked from a defunct Wausau plant. The suit, filed in state court, alleges that toxic chemicals from the Crestline Window plant on Wausau’s west side were released into the environment over a 40-year period. The suit alleges that the owners of the manufacturing plant, then known as SNE Corp., knew or should have known of the hazards of the chemicals used.
In 1984, SNE notified the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that it released “Penta,” a product used to treat raw lumber, at the site. Penta includes an ingredient called pentachlorophenol and is known to contain dioxins — both of which are known to cause cancer. It is alleged in the lawsuit that more than 100,000 gallons of Penta were released into the soil and groundwater between the plant and the Wisconsin River up until 1986. The plaintiffs are seeking damages and reimbursements of insurance.
Site cleanup is being overseen by the DNR, and according to an agency report, 468 gallons of “product” were recovered. The suit names Stevens Point companies Sentry Insurance and its subsidiary, WAULECO Inc. as defendants. SNE was not named in the lawsuit, and the current owners of SNE do not own the Wausau property.
Source: Wausau Daily Herald
