The family of a 79-year old Porter Ranch resident filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Southern California Gas Company Tuesday, alleging that the recent gas leak from nearby Aliso Canyon exacerbated the woman’s already fragile health.

The complaint against SoCalGas appears to be the first of its kind since the gas leak was first reported on Oct. 23.

In their complaint, the children of Zelda Rothman said their mother was suffering from lung cancer when natural gas began to leak from a well in Aliso Canyon about 3 miles away from her home.

As a result, Rothman’s breathing became labored Rothman required the use of an oxygen tank twenty-four hours a day,” according to the complaint. The family alleges that the gas leak deteriorated Rothman’s health and ultimately hastened her death and SoCalGas operated an aged natural gas well. They also said the company failed to report the leak and report on the extent of affects on the public’s health.

Rothman died on Jan. 25.

“Southern California Gas Company’s decision to operate its inherently dangerous gas storage operation next to 30,000 residents of Porter Ranch without taking all reasonable steps necessary to prevent catastrophic gas leaks is unconscionable,” said the family’s attorney Scott Glovsky. “Its decision has not only damaged the health and property values of thousands of Porter Ranch residents, it has hastened the death of Zelda Rothman.”

A response by SoCalGas was not immediately available.

Rothman’s son, Michael Rothman said he pursued the lawsuit because his mother told him she was certain she would be among the first in one of many casualties as a rsult of this gas leak.

Zelda Rothman was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in March, 2015, but doctors said treatment would only harm her more than help her. Even after the diagnosis she lived a normal life, her son said. She had gone on cruises and was planning another one with a friend to Hawaii. But in early November, she began to have difficulty walking. She couldn’t drive herself anymore, her breathing became labored, she suffered headaches, and she began using a cane, her son said. “It went downhill for her very quickly from November to December,” Michael Rothman said. “She led a perfectly normal life from March through end of October. Socially, she was going to local groups and visiting friend.

But he said news of the gas leak worried her.

The family asked about relocation, but by the time their mother considered it, Rothman had been hospitalized.

“I think she was very stressed not only about what the gas leak meant, but also what it would do to her because of her cancer.

Greg Keating, professor at the USC Gould School of Law said the gas company would likely dispute there is any exposure to toxins and if there was, such exposure can cause chronic health problems that generally take years to develop.

“The question is, was it the straw that broke the camel’s back?” Keating said of Rothman’s death.“I assume you need medical testimony to establish that.”

The lawsuit comes a day after results from expanded air monitoring in Porter Ranch, where natural gas continues to leak from a breached well show evidence of high methane levels and some benzene, was found to pose no increased risk for longterm health effects, health officials said.

Public health officials have said the nausea, headaches, vomiting and other issues experienced by residents stem from mercaptan, an odorant that smells like rotten eggs that is mixed with natural gas. Mercaptan is added to natural gas so that leaks can be quickly detected. There are no long term studies on its lasting effects, but thousands of residents chose to leave the area.

Results from air grabs taken from Oct. 30 to Jan. 23 within the community showed no significant evidence of high levels of toxins that could impact longterm health, officials have said. Those conclusions were made based on more than 1,000 air tests, of 10 minutes each. But concerns from residents about benzene, a known human carcinogen found in natural gas, continue to be raised. High levels were detected near the well site itself.

But there were 15 times within the community when the levels exceeded chronic exposure limits set by the state, health officials have said.

The natural gas leak was discovered three months ago at one of the 115 wells in the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility, operated by the Southern California Gas Co. Meanwhile, methane continues to leak from a 40-year-old well above the Santa Susana Mountains, spewing thousands of metric tons of gas into the air.

-Staff writer Brenda Gazzar contributed to this report.