Sunriver residents sue government over asbestos contamination, fear future development of mesothelioma

Homeowners at Sunriver Resort, located in Sunriver, Oregon, have filed a lawsuit against the federal government and previous owners of the military camp that preceded the resort, reports The Register Guard. The $3.2 million lawsuit cites asbestos contamination.

The Sunriver Owners Association noted in a complaint filed last month that asbestos was discovered in a 6-acre site where the former Camp Abbot building was demolished, and buried. Camp Abbot’s siding, insulation, floor tiles, ceiling and walls were contaminated with the material, which now lies beneath the resort.

Since the discovery, the owners’ group has worked with the state Department of Environmental Quality to remove 1,500 pounds of the material. The owners’ group expects to spend an additional $3 million to completely eradicate the ground of the asbestos.

Asbestos is a highly hazardous material, which, when disturbed, can be inhaled. Such exposure to the material has been known to cause several diseases, including mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the most aggressive asbestos-related disease, which affects 3,000 Americans each year.

Although there is no cure for the disease, mesothelioma clinics suggest patients undergo standard medical treatment in order to fight it. Such treatment, however, tends to arrive in the later stages of the patient’s disease. Mesothelioma doctors, including David Sugarbaker of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts, continue to work towards discovering a mesothelioma cure.

The suit notes that the defendants knew, or should have known, that a hazardous substance was buried on the property.