Woman blames Commercial Coal Testing for thyroid cancer

CHARLESTON – A woman is blaming Commercial Coal Testing, Inc., claiming it caused her to be diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer.

Commercial Coal Testing, LLC; Preiser Scientific, Inc.; and Standard Laboratories, Inc., were also named as defendants in the suit.

Allyson Townsend’s father was a coal testing industry worker who was often exposed to dangerous and carcinogenic chemicals during the course of his employment with the defendants, according to a complaint filed Jan. 24 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Townsend claims she was exposed to the same dangerous and carcinogenic chemicals through contact with her father’s clothes and person.

As a result, in February 2010, Townsend developed a rare form of thyroid cancer called Sporadic Medullary Carcinoma, according to the suit.

Townsend claims she underwent surgery to remove the cancerous growth, and because of the surgery, she will have to take medication for the rest of her life and suffer a scar on her neck.

As a result of her cancer, Townsend will be at an increased risk of developing cancer for the rest of her life and the cancer has had a profound impact on her quality of life, according to the suit.

Townsend claims the defendants knew or should have known of the adverse health effects and risk of harm from exposure to the coal testing chemicals they distributed.

The defendants failed to warn Townsend’s father and her family of the health effects and risks and breached their duty of care by failing to warn them, according to the suit.

Townsend is seeking compensatory and punitive damages with pre- and post-judgment interest. She is being represented by Kevin W. Thompson and David R. Barney Jr.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Charles E. King.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 13-C-151