Residents of Eagan, Minnesota, were able to claim part of a $30 million settlement from a lawsuit stipulating that Gopher Resource had exposed workers and families to toxic lead for two decades.
In 2021, a class-action lawsuit, Brown, et al. v. Gopher Resource, was filed in Florida against Gopher Resource.
According to the Star Tribune, "former workers said that they were repeatedly exposed to unsafe levels of lead, that they were not given proper protective equipment, and that the company did not teach them how to protect themselves and their families from exposure."
In an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times, the publication found hundreds of workers were exposed to dangerous levels of lead.
Gopher Resource has a history of violations for high lead levels, including in Minnesota. In Eagan, residents were notified of high levels of lead in the community by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in 2025.
"Definitely very worrying," Eagan resident Dan Conway told KSTP. "Nobody wants to be breathing in lead. Lead poisoning is extremely dangerous, and you wonder what else is coming from over there."
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The lawsuit was settled in March 2025, and Eagan residents were able to claim a share. Anyone who worked at the Florida or Minnesota locations, the families of the workers, and anyone who lived within a 1-mile radius of the plants were entitled to compensation.
Gopher Resource released a statement saying that it had "adopted policies and procedures designed to ensure our operations not only meet, but often exceed, the highest environmental, health, and safety standards in the industry."
"The company's at fault, but the state is too," said another Eagan resident, Ryan Franke, per CBS News. "The state agency is supposed to be protecting our communities."
Lead is a toxic metal that is particularly dangerous for children, according to the World Health Organization. It can lead to brain and nervous system damage, as well as leaving permanent intellectual and behavioral disorders.
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Yes — often 😬 In adults, lead can affect the kidneys and nervous system, leading to seizures or death, as the Mayo Clinic detailed.
Approximately 1 million people die annually due to complications from lead exposure, per the WHO. Aside from the air, lead can be ingested from water through contamination in water sources and soil.
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