About 200 Long Island residents plan to sue Suffolk County and the State of New York for allegedly exposing them to hazardous chemicals from an air base in Westhampton Beach.
Residents claim that the chemicals used by firefighters at Gabreski National Airport made them ill.
Marie Napoli, whose law firm will represent the residents, says they want compensation for what they call the negligence and carelessness of Suffolk County and state officials.
“There will also be claims for property damage, the devaluation of their property, and there’s also going to be personal injury claims down the road,” Napoli says.
After contaminants were found in the water around the airport and Westhampton last summer, the county released a notice that Gabreski National Airport would be investigated as a potential hazardous waste disposal site.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation said it would pay to connect homes in Westhampton with municipal water supplies.
The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Suffolk County attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.