Woman's death linked to explosion at St. Louis plant

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis medical examiner has linked the July death of a 32-year-old woman to the explosion at the Praxair bottled gas plant, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday.

Dr. Michael Graham ruled last month that Minnie Cooper died because her brain was starved of oxygen. The ruling was cited on a copy of the death certificate provided to the Post-Dispatch by a lawyer working with Cooper's family. The certificate cited an "underlying cause" as an "asthma attack triggered by inhalation of noxious smoke/fumes from industrial explosion/fire."

Cooper died July 5, 11 days after the plant erupted in massive explosions that sent fireballs hundreds of feet into the sky and turned canisters of gas into projectiles that damaged several homes in the mostly residential area surrounding the facility.

Cooper's mother, Linette Cooper, and Irv Mestman, a lawyer helping her, said Minnie Cooper complained the day of the blast that she was short of breath because of the fumes. Mestman guessed Cooper could have been exposed to fumes for 45 to 90 minutes while waiting for a bus, riding a light-rail train and walking home.

Cooper told her daughter she was going upstairs to use her nebulizer, a device that delivers medication to the lungs, Linette Cooper told the newspaper. A short time later, Minnie Cooper fainted.

By the time paramedics got her to a hospital, her brain was irreversibly damaged, according to a letter that Dr. George Matuschak wrote on behalf of the hospital to Linette Cooper on Sept. 1, 2005, to answer family questions. Linette Cooper said her daughter lingered on a respirator for days before dying.

Matuschak's letter said Cooper "most likely had a sudden, severe asthmatic attack." Matuschak, a pulmonary care specialist, wrote that while he did not know how close Cooper had been to the explosions, the lungs of asthmatic patients "are quite sensitive to pollution changes or to chemicals in the environment."

The letter from Matuschak said that although Minnie Cooper was allergic to shellfish and some drugs, an allergic reaction was less likely than an asthma attack. Minnie Cooper also was developmentally disabled and had cerebral palsy, Linette Cooper said.

Cooper's family was discussing a lawsuit on behalf of Cooper's three children, said Mestman. Her 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son have gone to live with their fathers, Linette Cooper said. A 2-year-old son is living with Linette Cooper.

A spokesman for Connecticut-based Praxair, Nigel Muir, said Wednesday he had no knowledge of the situation and declined comment.

Praxair is still seeking to either get a permit to rebuild at the same site or find a new location in St. Louis. Mayor Francis Slay and many neighboring residents have said the company should rebuild away from residential areas.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, www.stltoday.com.