Judge Asked To Throw Out Lawsuit

A federal judge has been asked to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of former workers at a top-secret Air Force base who charge that their health was damaged when the military burned toxic waste in open pits at the facility.

In two separate lawsuits, one against the Department of Defense and the other against the Environmental Protection Agency, the workers charge federal laws were violated in the disposal of the toxic materials on the base known as Groom Lake, or Area 51.

The Defense Department refuses to acknowledge the existence of the base.