Flyers trainers sue the team after they were “unknowingly exposed to cancer-causing carcinogens” from arena Zamboni

Two longtime Philadelphia Flyers trainings are suing team ownership after they allege that they were forced to work in an "environment in which they were unknowingly exposed to cancer-causing carcinogens."

Jim McCrossin, 64, Flyers Director of Medical Services, who joined the team in 2000, and assistant athletic trainer Sal Raffa, 42, who joined the team in 2004, were both diagnosed with nearly identical and incurable blood diseases and/or cancer a few months apart in the Spring and Summer of 2021.

After months of diagnoses and research, the pair allege that they contracted the diseases as a result of working in close contact with cancer causing carcinogens emitted from arena Zambonis. In particular, the pair argue that because the team's training room is directly adjacent to the Zamboni area that they've been ingested these chemicals for decades to inappropriate ventilation.

“Jimmy McCrossin and Sal Raffa are beloved figures in Philadelphia sports and it is our honor to represent them,” said law firm Tom Kline, Jim Waldenberger, and Elia Robertson of Kline & Specter in a statement. “Their cancer diagnoses are tragic and their exposure to toxic compounds in the workplace was unnecessary and preventable. We look forward to seeking justice for them in this very important case.”

The Flyers themselves have provided a statement saying:

“The safety of our employees and guests at the Flyers Training Center and all of our facilities is always a top priority for us. We have looked into the allegations made by Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa over the course of several months, and, based on that, believe that their claims have no merit. Beyond that, we cannot comment further given that this matter is in litigation.”

I won't pretend to know much about Zamboni emissions and carcinogens, but in further statements from the trainers' lawyers it does seem like the Flyers are guilty of negligence.

The complaint claimed that “the training room was subject to receiving liquid drainage from the Zamboni room, as well as other various conduits and spaces, through which emissions and/or carcinogens could access the areas occupied by … McCrossin and … Raffa.” And that they were unnecessarily exposed to carcinogens while occupying the training room and other areas in the vicinity of the operation of the Zamboni machine.

The complaint claims that all listed defendants were “jointly and collectively engaged in emitting, creating, using, handling, transporting, storing, transferring, dispensing, distributing, and/or permitting exposure to carcinogens, which may have included, but are not limited to benzene, aryl hydrocarbon receptor particulates, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, particulate matter 2.5 (“PM2.5”), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, and/or certain dioxins & dibenzofurans, within the Flyers Training Center.”

“These materials are toxic, ultra-hazardous, and are known or suspected human carcinogens. These materials were present because of the operation of carcinogen-producing equipment, machinery, and/or materials otherwise in use at the Flyers Training Center,” according to the complaint.

It's also worth noting that the CBC has determined that benzene causes cancer in humans. “Long-term exposure, (defined as more than a year), to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs.”

Flyers trainers sue the team after they were “unknowingly exposed to cancer-causing carcinogens” from arena Zamboni

Amount of money Johnny Gaudreau’s wife will receive from the NHL after his passing revealed

New details confirm how Gaudreau brothers found themselves at the collision site

A sickening update on Johnny Gaudreau's alleged killer