80 poisoning victims, cancer patients and relatives of former Norwegian workers on the Ekofisk field in the North Sea are now suing theAmerican oil company ConocoPhillips in the US. In their opinion the giant oil company has acted irresponsibly by not ensuring necessary maintenance and protection against chemicals which have resulted in serious health problems and premature deaths.

"We feel that we are not being heard in Norway and are banging our heads against a wall. People are dying all the time. We need help — and quickly," says former Ekofisk worker Jan-Erik Tandberg to Dagbladet.no.

He says that his employer, ConocoPhillips, is trying to tell the world that they did not know about the dangers the oil workers were exposed to.

"We have evidence to the contrary," says Tandberg.

Dagbladet.no has not been able to get a comment from ConocoPhillips regarding the lawsuit.The Texan company Arnold & Itkin LLP believes that the Norwegian oil workers have a strong case. With the help of doctors, the law firm intends to demonstrate the connection between the health problems and the hazardous working environment on the Ekofisk field. The lawyers will also present evidence that ConocoPhillips has not been concerned about the workers´health. The amount of damages can be historically high by Norwegian standards.