Inset: Cheyenne Dunham (Newcomer Cincinnati). Background: The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio is accused of causing the "rare" health complications that led to Cheyenne Dunham's death (Department of Energy).
An Ohio teenager died from complications of a bone marrow transplant after developing a "rare" genetic condition caused by radiation from a nuclear plant she lived by, her mother says in a lawsuit. The teen was diagnosed with a 12-inch blood clot in her hip and blood clots in her lungs before she died.
"Cheyenne Dunham, from birth until she was a teenager, regularly consumed food grown in a garden within close proximity to [the nuclear plant], including corn, tomatoes and beans," lawyers for Cheyenne's mother say in a 52-page legal complaint. "Cheyenne Dunham lived from age 4 or 5 until she was a teenager … in close proximity to [the nuclear plant]. At this home, Cheyenne Dunham played in a creek and ingested creek water."
Cheyenne's mother, Julia Dunham, is suing Centrus Energy in a wrongful death case for her 19-year-old daughter's death in 2015. Julia became the administrator of Cheyenne's estate in October and filed her complaint against Centrus Energy in late November. She says radiation from the company's Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, referred to as PORTS, led to Cheyenne's condition and health problems.
Officials shut down the plant in 2001 due to environmental concerns, including the proximity of a school just two miles away and numerous nearby homes.
On May 13, 2019, Zahn's Corner Middle School in Piketon was "suddenly closed" after "enriched uranium" was detected inside the building, according to Julia Dunham's complaint. Cheyenne was a student there for three years, from fourth through sixth grade.
"While at Zahn's Corner, Cheyenne was exposed to radionuclides in excess of federal regulatory limits," the complaint alleges. "She was also exposed to radionuclides in the Piketon community."
From birth until "age 4 or 5," Cheyenne and her family lived at a house located at 257 Bailey Chapel Road in Piketon, Ohio, which bordered PORTS. She attended kindergarten through third grade at Jasper Elementary, which is also in close proximity to PORTS.
"When Cheyenne Dunham was about 16 years old, she began to experience health problems," the complaint says. "One day her legs turned blue."
Cheyenne's mother says she took the teen to a family health facility, which "immediately" transferred her to an emergency room at Southern Ohio Medical Center after she was diagnosed with blood clots in her legs, including the 12-inch clot in her left hip.
Cheyenne was given blood thinners and referred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with GATA Deficiency, a rare condition that affects the blood and the immune system, according to the complaint.
"To treat this rare condition, Cheyenne Dunham underwent two separate bone marrow transplants, in an attempt to avoid developing Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which was likely to result in death," the complaint explains. "Following the second bone marrow transplant in February of 2015, Cheyenne became very sick. By May of 2015, her body was rejecting the bone marrow transplant, and her liver cells were under attack. She was in pain and struggled for months before her death."
Cheyenne died at Cincinnati Children's Hospital on Nov. 15, 2015, with the immediate cause of death being GVHD or Graft-versus-Host Disease "as a consequence of a bone marrow transplant and GATA 1 Mutation," the complaint says. She allegedly suffered from "chronic fatigue, weakness, constant infections, fear of infections, including multiple blood and iron infusions" before dying.
"Her death was directly and proximately a result from her exposure to radionuclides released from PORTS in excess of federal regulatory limits," the complaint concludes. "At no time following Cheyenne Dunham's diagnosis did plaintiff Julia Dunham or Cheyenne Dunham know, nor should plaintiff or Cheyenne Dunham have reasonably known, that Cheyenne Dunham's chronic diseases and death were related to radiation exposure resulting from defendants' violations of federal regulations, because no competent medical authority ever informed plaintiff Julia Dunham or Cheyenne Dunham of any such relationship."
The lawsuit includes studies of the area around the uranium plant that allegedly show high levels of radiation and data tracking cancer rates in Ohio. The counties that contain and are adjacent to the plant — Pike, Scioto, Vinton, Adams, and Lawrence Counties — are among those having the highest cancer rates in Ohio, the complaint says.
"A preliminary review of statewide cancer data recently obtained from the Ohio Department of Health revealed a large excess of childhood blood cancer in the area immediately surrounding the plant," the complaint alleges.
Julia Dunham is demanding a trial by jury and monetary damages for Cheyenne's funeral and burial costs, as well as medical expenses. Centrus did not respond to Law&Crime's requests for comment on Monday.