Rowland
Five people claim they sustained heavy metal poisoning and suffered neurological damages after using a popular dental adhesive for years.
Harry, Myra and Joseph Blank of St. Clair County, Cynthia Chappa of Fulton County in Ohio and Tina Gammon of Jefferson County filed a lawsuit April 25 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against The Proctor and Gamble Distributing Company and The Proctor and Gamble Manufacturing Company, makers of the denture adhesive Fixodent.
The plaintiffs claim they suffered injuries, including heavy metal poisoning and neurological damages, following their use of Fixodent -- an adhesive popularly utilized during denture use.
According to the complaint, Fixodent contains an excessive amount of Zinc, which Joseph Blank, Chapp and Gammon absorbed and ingested throughout a period of several years, causing their injuries.
Harry and Myra Blank are named as plaintiffs because they are the parents of Joseph Blank.
Because of their ingestion of Fixodent, the plaintiffs experienced pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement and mental anguish, the suit states. In addition, they lost their enjoyment of life and incurred medical costs, the complaint says.
The plaintiffs blame Proctor and Gamble for causing their injuries, saying it concealed the dangers associated with Fixodent, failed to warn them of dangers, failed to use reasonable care when testing the Fixodent and failed to utilize a safe design. In addition, the company negligently failed to manufacture Fixodent in a safe condition and failed to warn the plaintiffs of the danger of using Fixodent in unsafe doses, according to the complaint.
They allege strict products liability, inadequate warnings, negligence, intentional misrepresentation, breach of express warranty and breach of implied warranty in their seven-count complaint.
The plaintiffs seek a judgment of more than $350,000, plus costs, interest and other relief the court deems just.
Robert D. Rowland of Goldenberg, Heller, Antognoli and Rowland in Edwardsville will be representing them.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 11-L-207.