'Her legs turned blue': Nuclear plant radiation led to 12-inch blood clot in teen's hip and deadly complications after she played in nearby creek, lawsuit says

An Ohio teen died from complications of a bony marrow transplant aft processing a "rare" familial information caused by radiation from a atomic works she lived by, her mother says successful a lawsuit. The teen was diagnosed with a 12-inch humor clot successful her hep and humor clots successful her lungs earlier she died.

"Cheyenne Dunham, from commencement until she was a teenager, regularly consumed nutrient grown successful a plot wrong adjacent proximity to [the atomic plant], including corn, tomatoes and beans," lawyers for Cheyenne's parent accidental successful a 52-page legal complaint. "Cheyenne Dunham lived from property 4 oregon 5 until she was a teen … successful adjacent proximity to [the atomic plant]. At this home, Cheyenne Dunham played successful a creek and ingested creek water."

Cheyenne's mother, Julia Dunham, is suing Centrus Energy successful a wrongful death lawsuit for her 19-year-old daughter's decease successful 2015. Julia became the head of Cheyenne's property successful October and filed her ailment against Centrus Energy successful precocious November. She says radiation from the company's Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, referred to arsenic PORTS, led to Cheyenne's information and wellness problems.

Officials unopen down the works successful 2001 owed to biology concerns, including the proximity of a schoolhouse conscionable 2 miles distant and galore adjacent homes.

On May 13, 2019, Zahn's Corner Middle School successful Piketon was "suddenly closed" aft "enriched uranium" was detected wrong the building, according to Julia Dunham's complaint. Cheyenne was a pupil determination for 3 years, from 4th done sixth grade.

"While astatine Zahn's Corner, Cheyenne was exposed to radionuclides successful excess of national regulatory limits," the ailment alleges. "She was besides exposed to radionuclides successful the Piketon community."

From commencement until "age 4 oregon 5," Cheyenne and her household lived astatine a location located astatine 257 Bailey Chapel Road successful Piketon, Ohio, which bordered PORTS. She attended kindergarten done 3rd people astatine Jasper Elementary, which is besides successful adjacent proximity to PORTS.

"When Cheyenne Dunham was astir 16 years old, she began to acquisition wellness problems," the ailment says. "One time her legs turned blue."

Cheyenne's parent says she took the teen to a household wellness facility, which "immediately" transferred her to an exigency country astatine Southern Ohio Medical Center aft she was diagnosed with humor clots successful her legs, including the 12-inch clot successful her near hip.

Cheyenne was fixed humor thinners and referred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, wherever she was diagnosed with GATA Deficiency, a uncommon information that affects the humor and the immune system, according to the complaint.

"To dainty this uncommon condition, Cheyenne Dunham underwent 2 abstracted bony marrow transplants, successful an effort to debar processing Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which was apt to effect successful death," the ailment explains. "Following the 2nd bony marrow transplant successful February of 2015, Cheyenne became precise sick. By May of 2015, her assemblage was rejecting the bony marrow transplant, and her liver cells were nether attack. She was successful symptom and struggled for months earlier her death."

Cheyenne died astatine Cincinnati Children's Hospital connected Nov. 15, 2015, with the contiguous origin of decease being GVHD oregon Graft-versus-Host Disease "as a effect of a bony marrow transplant and GATA 1 Mutation," the ailment says. She allegedly suffered from "chronic fatigue, weakness, changeless infections, fearfulness of infections, including aggregate humor and robust infusions" earlier dying.

"Her decease was straight and proximately a effect from her vulnerability to radionuclides released from PORTS successful excess of national regulatory limits," the ailment concludes. "At nary clip pursuing Cheyenne Dunham's diagnosis did plaintiff Julia Dunham oregon Cheyenne Dunham know, nor should plaintiff oregon Cheyenne Dunham person reasonably known, that Cheyenne Dunham's chronic diseases and decease were related to radiation vulnerability resulting from defendants' violations of national regulations, due to the fact that no competent aesculapian authorization ever informed plaintiff Julia Dunham oregon Cheyenne Dunham of immoderate specified relationship."

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The suit includes studies of the country astir the uranium works that allegedly amusement precocious levels of radiation and information tracking crab rates successful Ohio. The counties that incorporate and are adjacent to the works — Pike, Scioto, Vinton, Adams, and Lawrence Counties — are among those having the highest crab rates successful Ohio, the ailment says.

"A preliminary reappraisal of statewide crab information precocious obtained from the Ohio Department of Health revealed a ample excess of puerility humor crab successful the country instantly surrounding the plant," the ailment alleges.

Julia Dunham is demanding a proceedings by assemblage and monetary damages for Cheyenne's ceremonial and burial costs, arsenic good arsenic aesculapian expenses. Centrus did not respond to Law&Crime's requests for remark connected Monday.