Child Lead Exposure Lawsuit Filed Over Toxic Dust From Federal Cartridge Ammunition Plant

Research has linked lead exposure to serious and lasting health problems, with young children facing the greatest risk of developmental and neurological harm.

A Minnesota woman has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her child who suffered injuries after being exposed to lead and other toxic chemicals inadvertently brought home from a Federal Cartridge ammunition manufacturing plant.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Lindsey Robideau on behalf of her child A.R. in Minnesota District Court on June 15, and was recently removed to the U.S. District Court of Minnesota on July 13. The lawsuit names Federal Cartridge Company, The Kinetic Group Inc., CSG Elevate II Inc. and CSE USA Inc. as defendants.

Robideau’s allegations center on take-home exposure to lead and other chemicals used during ammunition manufacturing. Federal Cartridge has produced lead-based ammunition for the federal government and U.S. military for decades, and many of those contracts specifically called for lead bullets.

Childhood Lead Exposure Risks

For decades, medical research has shown that lead exposure can cause serious and lasting harm, particularly in young children whose brains and nervous systems are still developing. Even relatively low levels of exposure have been linked to reduced cognitive function, learning difficulties, behavioral problems and poorer academic performance.

Exposure during pregnancy may also affect a child before birth. Research has associated prenatal lead exposure with impaired memory, delayed development and other neurological problems that can continue into childhood.

Children exposed to lead may also face a greater risk of depression and other emotional or behavioral disorders. The effects are not always temporary, as prolonged exposure has been associated with neurological damage that may contribute to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

According to Robideau’s lawsuit, she worked at the Federal Cartridge Company ammunition manufacturing facility in Anoka, Minnesota. She alleges her child was unknowingly exposed to hazardous substances through lead and other contaminants carried home on her clothing, shoes, vehicle, cell phone and other personal belongings, resulting in physical, emotional and mental injuries.

The lawsuit claims Federal Cartridge knew employees were exposed to dangerously high levels of toxic substances but failed to provide adequate protective equipment, shower facilities, dedicated work shoes or other measures to prevent workers from carrying contaminants home. It also alleges the company failed to adequately warn employees about the risks associated with take-home exposure to lead, cadmium, arsenic, dioxins, sulfur dioxide and other hazardous substances.

Her complaint states that workplace testing conducted in 2021 found “alarming levels of lead contamination” in employee break rooms, locker rooms and other areas where workers ate, changed clothes and stored personal belongings. The testing also found eight employees with blood lead levels exceeding 25 μg/dL, including one whose level exceeded 40 μg/dL.

The lawsuit further alleges the Minnesota Department of Health investigated the homes of affected workers and found no significant source of lead contamination other than take-home exposure from the Federal Cartridge facility. In 2023, elevated blood lead levels were reportedly identified in four children of facility employees.

Robideau contends Federal Cartridge failed to implement basic workplace controls that could have prevented employees from leaving the facility with contaminated clothing and footwear, exposing both workers and their families to hazardous substances.

“Plaintiff’s injuries are a direct and proximate result of exposure to excessive levels of lead, lead compounds, cadmium, arsenic, dioxins, sulfur dioxide, and other hazardous substances due otherwise to Defendants’ deliberate and intentional failure to implement an adequate decontamination process to prevent the escape, dissemination and discharge of lead, lead compounds, and other hazardous substances from disseminating, discharging, and escaping the Facility into the community at large.”

— Lindsey Robideau v. Federal Cartridge Company et al.

The complaint raises allegations of negligence and violations of the Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act. It seeks compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional suffering and mental injuries.

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