PITTSBURGH – Four teenagers from West Virginia have sued EQT subsidiaries saying the gas company exposed them to dangerous pollution from its operations.
The teenagers, who all lived in Littleton in Wetzel County, filed the complaint August 6 in federal court in Pennsylvania, which is where defendants EQT Production Company and EQT XL Midstream Operating LLC are based. The teens now live in Paden City and New Martinsville.
EQT Midstream owns and operates Knob Fork Compressor Station in Littleton, and EQT Production operated eight “unconventional” natural gas wells in Littleton.
The complaint says the compressor station’s operational emissions include air pollutants hazardous to the environment and to human health. Those emissions include nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon dioxide equivalents and volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, butane, hexane, methyl pentane and formaldehyde.
“Due to the lack of full disclosure by EQT Midstream, the plaintiffs have been unwittingly exposed to hazardous chemicals, thwarting their ability to identify their exposure and, ultimately, meaningful medical care,” the complaint states.
It also says it is technologically impossible to prevent all such emissions from the station, which also generated noise pollution that harmed the plaintiffs.
The teens also say there were more than 1,600 chemicals used for fracking at the gas wells, and they say the construction process also caused them harm with chemicals and around-the-clock noise.
The families of the four teens purchased their homes before EQT began its work at the sites, and three of the four teens were born before EQT began the work as well.
Medical testing shows one teen, identified as P.T., was exposed to benzene, toluene, xylene, styrene, phthalates and MTBE. Hair sampling also detected high levels of calcium, antimony, lead, nickel and barium in P.T. The complaint says P.T. experienced anemia, gastrointestinal issues, cognitive issues, headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, rashes across her body, ear ringing, dizziness, nausea, depression, anxiety, emotional distress, scoliosis, lethargy and development of allergies, including to antibiotics.
Another teen, identified, as G.H., had similar results with medical testing and hair sampling. He also has been diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder that is not genetic, joint issues, scoliosis, thyroid nodules and had clamps inserted into his lungs.
Siblings B.K. and J.K. have similar medical testing and hair sampling results as well. The complaint also says the girls were once best friends with P.T., but their relationship now is strained because of “shared trauma and struggling to explain their emotional experience to school friends.”
The families of all four plaintiffs were forced to leave their Littleton homes when the children were ages 11 to 14, according to the complaint. Those homes were less than half a mile from the EQT station and wells.
The plaintiffs say they have suffered a loss of a healthy and clean environment, causing health injuries, loss of use and enjoyment of their homes, loss of quality of life, emotional distress and other damages. They say those damages are a direct result of the defendants’ negligent and reckless operations, and they say there are “no other sources of the pollution that caused the impacts to the plaintiffs.”
They accuse EQT of private nuisance, negligence, strict liability and negligent infliction of emotional distress. They also want EQT to establish medical monitoring trust funds for each plaintiff.
The teens seek compensatory damages, punitive damages, court costs, attorney fees, expert fees and other relief. They are being represented by Michael J. Bruzzese and Lisa Johnson, both of Pittsburgh.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania case number 2:25-cv-1203
