More Than 50,000 Texas City Residents Sue BP

More than 50,000 Texas City residents have joined a class-action suit against BP PLC, alleging they got sick in 2010 from a 41-day emissions release from a refinery that was the scene of a deadly explosion.

Texas has also sued BP over the release, which occurred as the British oil giant was battling the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico spill. The Environmental Protection Agency is also investigating.

The Galveston Daily News reports that residents say they became ill from the release. BP maintains the emissions didn’t harm anyone.

Texas says BP emitted 500,000 pounds of chemicals, including carbon monoxide and benzene, during April and May in 2010.

BP recently reached a $50 million settlement with the EPA over the 2005 explosion that killed 15 people at the Texas City refinery.