UPDATE: Lawsuit Dismissed

A majority of the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Whirlpool lawsuit have notified the court that they have dismissed their cases against Whirlpool. Whirlpool welcomes dismissal of this lawsuit and is respectful of the families involved. We empathize with community members – our neighbors, friends and co-workers – who have suffered illnesses or deaths of their loved ones. Whirlpool has been a part of the fabric of the Clyde community for more than 60 years, and we continue our commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen.

Whirlpool Park Test Results: No Health Risk and No Evidence of Illegal Dumping

An environmental site assessment was conducted under the supervision of the U.S. EPA at the former Whirlpool Park in 2013.

No PCBs or other man-made chemicals were detected in the groundwater samples. Soil samples containing PCBs above U.S. EPA residential standards were found only in limited areas comprised of fill material near the basketball court and former grist mill, which is consistent with the prior sampling by the U.S. EPA in the area of the basketball court. Only a few other compounds were found to be at or slightly above U.S. EPA residential screening levels. The low levels of PCBs and metals found in the sampling were at concentrations that pose no health risk and are not unexpected for fill dirt used in the 1950s and 1960s, when major improvements were made in the park.

Using the site assessment as a scientific basis, Whirlpool is working with the U.S. EPA, the Ohio EPA and the property owner on the development and implementation of next steps.

A summary of the report detailing the testing is available here, a graphic showing the location of the samples that were taken and the results is available here, and the full report and data submitted to the U.S. EPA is available here.

About the Lawsuits

We empathize with the families who have suffered illnesses or deaths of their loved ones. The allegations made by the plaintiff attorneys in the lawsuits that have been filed, however, are not supported by scientific or medical evidence. There is no scientific or medical evidence linking the reported health issues with any of Whirlpool’s operations at the Clyde plant or the limited and contained amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found at the former Whirlpool Park.

One of the lawsuits against the company was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs in the fall of 2013.

In the remaining lawsuit, the legal process is continuing to move forward following the Judge’s decision on Whirlpool’s Motion to Dismiss (discussed in detail above). In that ruling, the Court dismissed 15 of the 17 counts in the plaintiffs’ complaint, and denied the plaintiff attorneys’ request to initiate a class action on behalf of property owners in the area. The Court’s decision to allow the two claims to continue is not a ruling on the underlying merits of those issues.

On behalf of our 3,000 employees in the Clyde area, Whirlpool will continue to vigorously defend against these baseless claims by the plaintiff attorneys.