Woman alleging fumes from Willowbrook company caused her cancer testifies in court

Sue Kamuda was thrilled when she bought her home in Willowbrook in 1985.

But she had no idea that about four blocks from her home a company that sterilized medical instruments was emitting cancer-causing ethylene oxide into the air.

Kamuda said she felt a lump in her breast in 2007, was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a lumpectomy as well as radiation treatments and chemotherapy. It wasn't until years later when information began coming out about the cancer-causing agents that had for years been spewed into her neighborhood and surrounding communities that she made the connection between her diagnosis and Sterigenics.

Now, Kamuda, 70, is one of more than 700 plaintiffs involved in a series of lawsuits against Sterigenics. Her case is the first against the company that's gone to trial.

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Woman alleging fumes from Willowbrook company Sterigenics caused her breast cancer testifies in court

Sue Kamuda said she had no history of breast cancer in her family. But she did love spending as much time as possible outside where, unbeknownst to her at the time, she breathed in carcinogens spewed by a nearby plant.

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