Recently, the New Yorker ran a very important piece, reported by investigative journalist Sharon Lerner, in collaboration with ProPublica, with the headline “How 3M Discovered, Then Concealed the Dangers of Forever Chemicals.” 3M Corporation makes products like building materials and adhesives. The article tells the story of Kris Hansen, a…
A federal court recently approved a $1.185 billion settlement concerning drinking water that had been contaminated by forever chemicals in PFAS-containing firefighting foam. The court dismissed objections from three cities and a municipal water district court. If you were injured or a loved one died due to polluted drinking water,…
President Biden has signed the historic Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which affects those who lived on Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps Base on the Atlantic coast. Water contamination at the base was pervasive. Numerous damaging volatile organic compounds, including benzene, tetrachloroethylene, and trichloroethylene, have been…
On August 2, 2022, the Senate passed the long-sought PACT Act. The passage of such bill marks the end of a persistent fight to get the law passed through Congress. This legislation had been held up in the chamber after opposition from more than a dozen Republicans. After extensive backlash…
Camp Lejeune is a military training facility for the United States Marine Corps. Water treatment facilities that supplied water to Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base were contaminated. The volatile organic compounds dumped there from 1957 – 1987 may have caused serious injuries to Marines, Sailors, and their families on the…
There are countless chemicals with which we come into contact in our daily lives. While some of these are open and obvious, like hand soap, others are more difficult to identify. California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, prevents businesses from exposing consumers to chemicals…
In a recently filed lawsuit, Williams v. Deterex Corporation, the plaintiff alleges that her husband lost his life as a result of a company’s failure to appropriately label a load of hydrogen sulfide as hazardous. On April 26, 2016, the decedent was transporting a load of materials for the defendant chemical company to another…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning a ban on a chemical that is commonly used in dry cleaning services, due to its serious impact on liver health and neurological function. The chemical, trichloroethylene (TCE), has been associated with serious risks to consumers and workers. A 2014 assessment concluded that…
After a year of consideration, California’s Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OHHA) has issued a final regulation for its “Safe Harbor” warning provision regarding Proposition 65. This new provision is designed to give consumers additional information regarding the contents of the products sold in California, particularly when it comes to potentially…
A new lawsuit brought by a group of Oregon residents claims that Precision Castparts has released heavy metals and toxic chemicals into public areas. The class action complaint claims that the residents have been exposed to “hot spots” of these carcinogenic materials. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit alleges that…