Lemont Refinery Lawsuit [May 2026 Update]

The Lemont Refinery is located along the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Romeoville, Illinois. With a crude oil processing capacity of approximately 183,000 barrels per day, it is one of the larger refineries in the Midwest. The facility produces gasoline, jet fuel, ultra-low sulfur diesel, butane, and liquid petroleum gas — fuels distributed across the region to commercial customers and consumers.

Petroleum refining is a high-temperature, high-pressure process that involves numerous hazardous chemicals at every phase of operation. Among these, benzene is one of the most extensively studied. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies benzene as a Group A known human carcinogen.

Peer-reviewed research in journals such as Environmental Health has examined associations between occupational benzene exposure and leukemia among refinery workers. Other studies have examined whether residents near refineries face elevated health risks. While most people in the general population are exposed to background levels of benzene from automobile exhaust and gasoline vapor, individuals who live or work near large refineries may be exposed to higher concentrations for longer periods.

Under federal rules finalized in 2015, U.S. refineries have been required since 2018 to conduct fenceline air monitoring for benzene and to take corrective measures if net annual concentrations exceed the EPA’s “action level.” Government-maintained monitoring data for the Lemont Refinery are publicly available through the EPA.

The Lemont Refinery processes crude oil into a range of fuels and petroleum products. According to publicly available facility information, the refinery operates the following major technical processing units:

• Atmospheric distillation — Separates crude oil into fractions based on boiling point.
• Vacuum distillation — Processes heavier residues under reduced pressure.
• Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) — Breaks heavier hydrocarbons into lighter products such as gasoline.
• Catalytic reforming (two units) — Converts low-octane hydrocarbons into high-octane gasoline components; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and xylene are common byproducts.
• Alkylation — Combines smaller hydrocarbons into high-octane gasoline blendstocks.
• Hydrodesulfurization — Removes sulfur using hydrogen.
• Coker unit — Processes residual oils into lighter products and petroleum coke.

Each unit involves distinct chemical hazards, and toxic chemicals can be released through routine operations, equipment leaks, flaring events, maintenance turnarounds, or accidental release. Materials commonly associated with petroleum refining include:

• Benzene — A known human carcinogen; associated in scientific literature with leukemia and other blood disorders.
• Toluene — Can affect the central nervous system, causing headaches and dizziness.
• Ethylbenzene — Exposure may cause respiratory irritation and dizziness.
• Xylene — Can cause headaches, nausea, and respiratory effects.
• Hexane — Prolonged exposure has been associated with peripheral nerve damage.
• Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) — Can cause respiratory irritation and, at higher concentrations, neurological effects.
• Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) — Irritates the respiratory system and can aggravate asthma.
• Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) — Contribute to ground-level ozone and respiratory effects.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — A broad category, some carcinogenic.

These substances can affect the body through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion. The route, extent, and duration of exposure all factor into the type of harm that may occur.

Scientific research has examined associations between exposure to chemical substances commonly emitted by petroleum refineries — particularly benzene — and a range of serious illnesses:

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) — Benzene is among the most well-established occupational risk factors for AML.
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) — Associated with exposure to benzene and other VOCs.
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) — Long-term benzene exposure has been studied as a contributing factor.
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) — Occurs more frequently in children and has been studied near industrial facilities.
• Aplastic Anemia — Associated in medical literature with benzene exposure.
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) — Benzene is a recognized risk factor.
• Multiple Myeloma — Examined in studies of occupational benzene exposure.
• Respiratory Conditions — Including asthma and bronchitis.

Causation in toxic exposure cases is generally established through medical evidence, exposure history, and expert testimony, because other factors — including genetics, lifestyle, and unrelated environmental exposures — can also contribute to the development of disease.

Refinery work is among the more hazardous occupations in the United States. Workers routinely operate near flammable materials, pressurized vessels, and toxic substances. Hazards at petroleum facilities can include fires, explosions, chemical release, and falls from elevated structures, as well as longer-term exposure to hazardous chemicals that may not produce immediate injury but can cause illness over time.

Employers are generally required to implement engineering controls, administrative procedures, training programs, and personal protective equipment to control workplace exposures and reduce the risk of an accident or incident. Technology improvements and modern engineering measures — including enclosed sampling systems, leak-detection programs, and process safety management — have been deployed across the industry over recent decades. The extent to which any individual facility implements these measures can affect both worker and community exposure.

The Illinois Department of Public Health maintains a State Cancer Registry that tracks cancer incidence by ZIP code, including ZIP code 60439, which covers Lemont and portions of neighboring communities. Residents concerned about cancer in their location can access this government data directly through the IDPH website.

Public health data alone do not establish that any specific facility caused any specific illness; the rise of cancer in a community can reflect many factors, including population growth, age development, screening practices, and unrelated environmental exposures. These data can, however, support the early stages of evaluating whether a particular diagnosis warrants further inquiry into possible environmental exposure.

Gianaris Trial Lawyers has represented Illinois residents in lawsuit matters involving alleged toxic exposure from petroleum refining operations.

In one such matter, the firm — along with attorney John Simmons — obtained a $4.48 million settlement on behalf of 183 property owners whose homes were affected by an underground plume of benzene, hexane, and other hydrocarbons associated with a major Illinois refinery. That settlement was structured to preserve the residents’ rights to pursue future personal-injury claims.

The firm has also represented individual clients diagnosed with conditions including acute myeloid leukemia and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in matters resolved through confidential settlements.

The Lemont Refinery has operated in the Romeoville area for nearly a century, undergoing multiple expansions, construction projects, and ownership changes:

• Early 1920s: Original construction of the refinery along the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
• Mid-20th Century: The facility operates under Pure Oil before being acquired by Union Oil of California (Unocal).
• 1968–1970: Union Oil significantly expands and modernizes the refinery, with a major construction phase that increases capacity and adds new processing units.
• July 23, 1984: The 1984 Romeoville petroleum refinery incident — an explosion at the then–Union Oil facility — results in 17 fatalities. The accident remains one of the most serious industrial incidents in Illinois history.
• Late 1990s: Ownership transitions through Uno-Ven (a Unocal/PDVSA joint venture) and PDV Midwest Refining.
• Early 2000s: The refinery operates under Citgo Petroleum Corporation.
• 2005: Citgo enters into a federal consent decree addressing emissions at its U.S. refineries.
• 2009 and 2011: The EPA cites Citgo in connection with the consent decree.
• 2016: Citgo and its parent company enter into a settlement under which the company agrees to install approximately $42 million in emissions-control technology and pay $2.2 million in penalties to federal and state governments.
• 2018: Federal fenceline benzene monitoring rules take effect for U.S. petroleum refineries.
• December 2025: The Lemont Refinery is sold to Amber Energy following a court-ordered auction.

Today, the refinery has a crude processing capacity of approximately 183,000 barrels per day.

A toxic-exposure lawsuit is a type of personal-injury case — a civil legal proceeding in which a plaintiff seeks compensation for harm they have suffered because another party was at fault or legally responsible for their injuries. Lawsuits in the United States are broadly categorized into civil litigation, which most often involves private parties seeking financial compensation, and criminal prosecution, which is brought by the government against an individual or business. Most people who file a lawsuit as an individual are pursuing a civil matter to recover financial compensation or enforce legal obligations.

In a personal-injury case like a refinery exposure claim, the injured party (the plaintiff) must demonstrate that another party (the defendant) was at fault — meaning the defendant acted carelessly, negligently, or otherwise irresponsibly, and that this conduct caused the harm for which compensation is sought. In most personal-injury cases, the legal responsibilities of the parties involved are determined primarily through prior court decisions interpreting common-law principles rather than through specific statutes.

A formal personal-injury lawsuit typically begins when the plaintiff files a civil complaint against the defendant. The complaint identifies the parties, sets out the facts alleged to have occurred, identifies the legal theories under which the plaintiff seeks recovery, and describes the relief requested. The defendant then has an opportunity to respond, and the case proceeds through pre-trial discovery, motion practice, and — if not resolved earlier — trial.

In practice, most personal-injury disputes are resolved through informal settlement negotiations before a lawsuit is filed or before a case reaches trial. These negotiations often involve the parties, their attorneys, and any applicable insurers. When you initially file a claim with an insurance company, the court is not yet involved, and a lawsuit may not be necessary if the parties reach a fair resolution through the insurance claims process. A lawsuit is a formal legal process initiated by a plaintiff against a defendant in court, while an insurance claim is a request for compensation made directly to an insurance company without court involvement. Resolving a claim without litigation can have benefits — it is generally faster and less costly — but starting a lawsuit may be appropriate when an insurance response does not provide adequate relief.

Before deciding to file, several considerations are worth weighing: the applicable statute of limitations, the cost and time required by litigation, the strength of the available evidence, and potential alternatives such as mediation. Litigation requires significant time and money, which can make it an expensive process.

A statute of limitations sets the period within which a personal-injury lawsuit must be filed. The clock generally begins to run when the injury occurs — or, importantly in toxic-exposure cases, when the injury is or reasonably should have been discovered.

This distinction matters in refinery exposure cases because the illnesses linked to chemical exposure often develop over long periods. A worker or resident may not be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, or another condition until many years after the exposure itself. Under what is generally referred to as the “discovery rule,” the limitations period in many toxic-exposure cases begins when the person knew or reasonably should have known both that they were injured and that the injury was likely related to the exposure — not on the date of the exposure itself.

Because the precise rules can be technical and case-specific, it is important to consult an attorney as soon as you suspect your illness may be connected to refinery exposure.

A claim may be appropriate if you were diagnosed with a qualifying condition after substantial exposure associated with the Lemont Refinery — as an injured worker at the facility or as a resident of a nearby community. Potential claimants may include:

• Current and former employees of the Lemont Refinery
• Contractors and construction workers who performed work at the facility
• Residents of Romeoville and surrounding communities diagnosed with cancers or blood disorders associated with benzene exposure
• Parents of children diagnosed with leukemia or other rare blood illnesses
• Surviving family members of individuals who died from such conditions

To recover, the injured party must prove that another party was at fault or legally responsible for the injury. In Illinois, the principle of comparative negligence can also apply: a plaintiff’s damages award may be reduced by their own percentage of fault in the incident that caused the harm, where applicable. Our firm evaluates each potential matter on its individual facts to determine whether a viable claim exists.

Gathering Evidence for a Toxic Exposure Claim

Toxic-exposure claims generally require evidence connecting the diagnosis to documented exposure. Our firm assists clients in gathering and organizing materials that may support a claim:

• Medical records establishing the diagnosis and treatment period
• Employment records from the Lemont Refinery or related contractors and employers
• Residential history confirming location near the refinery
• Environmental data, including publicly available EPA fenceline monitoring records
• Illinois Department of Public Health cancer-incidence data
• Expert medical opinion linking exposure to diagnosis
• EPA enforcement records and consent decrees relating to the facility
• Witness statements from coworkers, neighbors, or medical providers
• Technical documentation regarding engineering controls, safety procedures, and training at the facility
• Property records, historical maps, and construction records confirming proximity

Potential Damages in a Lemont Refinery Claim

In a lawsuit like this, “damages” refers to the compensation a court or settlement may award to a plaintiff for harm suffered. Damages in a toxic-exposure case generally fall into three categories.

Economic damages represent the actual, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the injured party. These can include past and future medical bills, costs of ongoing treatment and medication, lost wages, and the replacement of reduced earning capacity. Economic damages are typically supported by documentary evidence such as medical billing records, employment records, and expert calculations of future losses.

Noneconomic damages compensate for nonmonetary losses that do not appear on a receipt or pay stub but are nonetheless real. These can include pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. In wrongful-death cases, surviving family members may also recover for loss of companionship and support.

Punitive damages are different in form and purpose. They are not intended to compensate the victim but rather to punish a defendant for particularly egregious behavior and to deter similar conduct in the future. Punitive damages are not awarded in every case; their availability is limited by Illinois law and the specific facts of the claim.

Other recoverable costs in appropriate cases can include funeral and burial expenses, property damage and diminished property value associated with contamination, and pre-judgment interest.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits vs. a Third-Party Lawsuit

When a worker is injured on the job, Illinois workers’ compensation law generally provides benefits regardless of fault — including medical costs and a portion of lost wages. However, those benefits are limited, and they typically prevent the employee from suing their own employer directly.

A separate third-party lawsuit may still be available against parties other than the employer — for example, chemical suppliers, equipment manufacturers, contractors, or property owners. These third-party claims can sometimes provide additional support for medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering beyond what workers’ compensation benefits alone allow.

Our firm can help you determine which path — or which combination of paths — applies to your situation.

Gianaris Trial Lawyers: Reviewing Potential Lemont Refinery Claims

Gianaris Trial Lawyers is currently reviewing potential claims related to the Lemont Refinery. Our team works with medical experts, engineering consultants, and environmental scientists to evaluate whether a diagnosis may be associated with documented exposure.

If you believe your illness — or a loved one’s — may be connected to the Lemont Refinery, contact our office for a free and confidential consultation to learn whether you may be eligible for a legal claim.