2 more lawsuits filed against northwest Missouri tannery

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Two more lawsuits have been filed against a St. Joseph tannery that plaintiffs say allowed contaminated sludge to be spread on northwest Missouri farmland and caused a number of brain tumors.

Beverly Long of Cameron and Cynthia McQueen of Nebraska filed their suits in Clinton County Circuit Court in Plattsburg. Two other lawsuits also have been filed against former tannery owner Prime Tanning Co. and National Beef Leathers, which purchased the tannery earlier this year.

The lawsuits revolve around concerns that sludge the tannery distributed to farmers to use for fertilizer contained hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.