NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Diamond Shamrock Chemical Co. intentionally polluted a Newark neighborhood with toxic dioxin over an 18-year-period, an attorney charged yesterday at the opening of a trial of a civil lawsuit.

Diamond Shamrock, which operated a chemical factory along the Passaic River from 1951 to 1969, is being sued by 72 former workers, neighbors and local businesses seeking unspecified damages.