Over the past century, the world has seen a number of industrial advances that have improved both the length of our lives and our standard of living. Unfortunately, an unintended byproduct of these industrial advances has been the increasing number of dangerous and toxic substances polluting the environment. Although many people recognize the names of some of the most famous (or infamous) disasters, such as Love Canal or Three Mile Island, there are hundreds if not thousands of sites all over the United States that are too contaminated with toxins to be used, and which await cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency. Perhaps you unknowingly live near one of these contaminated sites.

Dangerous Substances

Dangerous substances are everywhere. Many older buildings still have lead-based paint, which can cause brain damage, especially in children. For years, workers were regularly exposed to asbestos, which is now known to be a leading cause of lung problems and cancer. Dry-cleaning chemicals and other solvents can cause brain damage and organ failure; pesticides used on crops can cause birth defects; waste that seeps out of a landfill can cause such varied problems as groundwater contamination and leukemia. The list goes on and on. With the rise in the number of these toxins, there has been a similar rise in so-called "toxic tort" cases.

Toxic Tort Cases

A toxic tort case is nothing more than a lawsuit to recover for an injury or a death that is caused by exposure to some toxic substance. Toxic tort cases can be difficult and expensive to win. Often, people become ill without knowing why and it may take years to trace their problems back to the specific toxin causing the illness. Because corporate polluters are hardly eager to advertise their involvement with poisoning the environment, tracking down the party responsible for the toxins can also take years. Finally, the connection between the toxin in the environment and the injury must be shown, which usually requires expert scientific, medical, and engineering testimony to connect the dots. People who bring toxic tort suits against polluters often have to prove that they have, in fact, been injured and that they are not hypochondriacs who are merely imagining some problem that does not actually exist.

Toxic Tort Lawyers

If you have been injured from toxic substance exposure and are considering legal action, please contact us for advice and guidance. We will retain experts to help determine your needs and reduced abilities and to translate subjective damage elements into economic terms that a court and jury can understand. Given the complexity of such cases, having good legal counsel is vitally necessary to help you file a legitimate claim, to make sure that you do not miss some deadline for filing your claim, to prepare the necessary legal paperwork, and to help you present your case to the jury. If you or a loved one has been injured by a toxic substance and if you can show that your exposure to the toxic substance was because of the negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation for various types of damages, including: • lost past and future wages; • lost earning capacity; • emotional trauma and pain and suffering; • physical or mental disability; • the cost of necessary medical care and rehabilitation; and • the value of property that has been contaminated or otherwise damaged. Contact our toxic tort lawyers to learn more about toxic torts.