Environmental and Toxic Damages Act cases in California are often one and the same. In an age where the carelessness of large corporations seems endless and the public has become aware of environmental dangers such as global warming and groundwater contamination, these cases can not only provide a measure of redress to injured plaintiffs, but can also help fight what some entities would do to our planet in the name of profit.
People at home, at work, at school, and during leisure or recreational activities are exposed to toxic chemicals, drugs, and mercury from where they live, work, or spend time elsewhere and from what they eat and drink and the cosmetics they use.
They can be damaged by exposure to asbestos, lead, mercury, zinc, chromium, TCE, PCBs, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, pesticides, silica, manganese, formaldehyde, and other toxins from places and things you never would have expected. Examples include toys covered in lead paint, toxic chemicals not only in groundwater, and tap water used by businesses to fill bottled water.
But pollution can come from the air, water, soil, and other sources that are often not considered. Pollution also comes from electromagnetic fields, cigarette smoke, and mold in the home or at work.
Air pollution includes unhealthy levels in the air quality index, acid rain, indoor air quality, and particulate pollution from construction. Smog and haze are not only depressing, they can be deadly when filled with types of pollution that pose a particular risk to older people. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and chlorofluorocarbons are just a few of the chemicals one encounters in everyday life. Too much of any of these can cause serious problems, including cancer and even death for almost anyone, not to mention other damage to the ecosystem.
Water pollution can come from sewage, surface runoff, sewage, waterborne diseases, water quality, oil spills, pollution from ships, and ocean acidification, just by Name some sources. Soil contamination can come from herbicides, pesticides, and even invasive species. Among the soil contaminants that people should be most concerned about are MTBE, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Because it happened thirty years ago, many today are unaware of or have forgotten about the groundwater contamination case known as Love Canal. In the late 1970s, residents of the Love Canal area of New York suffered from high rates of cancer and birth defects. The cause was attributed to chemicals that had seeped into the groundwater and the water supply from an industrial landfill. Hundreds of families were reimbursed for their damages but had to move out of the area.
Radioactive contamination is becoming more and more of a problem. There is already plutonium in the environment, radium in the environment, uranium in the environment, and other environmental radioactivity. We will soon hear more about alpha emitters and actinides.
There has been a lot of publicity recently about the increase in bed bugs in hotels, schools, and homes. When you go on vacation, you also have to worry about lice, ticks and other critters that you can bring home. When you go to the hospital or doctor, you may come back with an infection or virus more dangerous than the problem the patient was originally worried about.
While not a health risk, there is also visual pollution such as that caused by billboards, the recent addition of advertising at the gas pump, in elevators, and in public restrooms, as well as light pollution.
In the health field, contamination can come in the form of blood contamination, the hospital environment, medications, thimerosal (a preservative used to prevent vaccines from spoiling), surgical implants, beds or other patients.
If you believe a toxic material has caused or contributed to your injury, call your toxic wrong attorney today.