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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Labor Commission has dismissed 19 workers' compensation claims by police officers who were exposed to methamphetamine.
Many of the cases were dismissed at the requests of the officers, who wanted more time to find evidence that meth labs contributed to their ailments.
Eight cases remain because a judge says or opposing sides agree there is enough evidence to proceed.
Police officers exposed to meth say they often experience headaches, joint pain and memory loss.
They claim the fumes of cooking methamphetamine, its discarded byproducts or handling the drug itself caused ailments ranging from cancers, respiratory impairments, nervous system disorders and trouble sleeping at night.
While a 2008 state study suggests the officers have a higher risk of contracting lymphoma, melanoma and colon and rectal cancers, the burden of proof is placed on officers.
J.D. Ashby, an attorney for Workers Compensation Fund, said his clients have not yet taken a legal position on the officers' claims, but he wouldn't be surprised if some of the dismissed cases are filed again.
"It's just at this point they don't have evidence to survive the motion to dismiss," Ashby said.
Susan Black Dunn, who represents about half of the dismissed and pending cases, concedes there is no definitive study linking meth exposure to the ailments described by her clients. And because every officer has received individual treatment, no doctors are aware of any clusters, she said.
But Black Dunn believes evidence exists.
Physicians who have treated individual officers are willing to testify in their favor, Black Dunn said. The problem, she said, is that means rounding up a doctor for every officer.
Scientists in the occupational health field might also be willing to support the officers, Black Dunn said.
"We're trying to forge new territory," she said. "We're blazing the trail."
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
