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Every day, thousands of new products make their way onto the market throughout the world. While most products are safe, sometimes products are found to cause serious injury or illness. When a dangerous substance like a pesticide, chemical, or pharmaceutical causes harm to people, a legal claim called a toxic tort might be an option.

Toxic torts are personal injury claims that involve an damage caused by exposure to harmful chemicals. In these cases, the supplier or manufacturer of the toxic product is responsible for damage. Toxic torts may be the result of exposure to chemicals that were thought to be safe that turned out to be dangerous or they may be caused by substances known to be hazardous leaking into the groundwater or air. Most toxic tort cases are the result of occupational exposure as industrial workers are more likely to suffer from long-term exposure to toxins than other consumers.

If you are the victim of the workplace, home, or environmental exposure, a toxic tort attorney can help you explore your legal options and seek compensation for your illness or injury.

Toxic Tort Claims in California

Exposure to toxic chemicals can cause devastating injuries and illnesses in humans, including cancer, mesothelioma, birth defects, and death. Sometimes symptoms of toxic exposure appear minor, such as hyperactivity in children, chronic colds, and infections. In some toxic tort cases, entire communities of thousands of people are injured through air and soil exposure. Toxins involved in toxic tort claims may include lead paint, pesticides, herbicides, dangerous drugs, toxic mold, asbestos, and illegal toxic waste disposal.

Common chemicals that have resulted in toxic tort cases are:

• Lead
• Asbestos
• Silica
• Manganese
• Benzene
• Beryllium

Diseases that may occur due to toxic exposure include asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung disease, Hodgkin’s disease, silicosis, leukemia, and aplastic anemia.

Toxic tort claims usually involve the following:

• Occupational exposure to toxins. Industrial workers can be exposed to toxins at high levels for a short period or at lower levels over a longer period, both of which can result in injuries. Benzene and asbestos are two of the most common toxins industrial workers face.
• Pharmaceutical medications. Drugs may lead to toxic tort cases when they pose a danger and cause unintended and dangerous side effects.
• Household toxin exposure. This occurs when people breathe or ingest a toxic substance at home.
• Consumer products like pesticides that cause unintended illness or injury.

Proving a toxic tort case typically requires showing that the substance was dangerous, the plaintiff was exposure to the hazardous substance, and the substance caused harm. Most toxic tort cases come down to proving causation as it can be hard to trace the source of a substance that caused injury and many illnesses caused by toxic exposure do not manifest for some time.

Aerojet Toxic Tort Lawsuits

Aerojet is a defense contractor that produces missiles and rockets. Aerojet General Corporation has been accused of using asbestos in its products since at least the 1950s and allowing dangerous chemicals to leak into the area surrounding its Chino Hills, California plant. A toxic tort case was brought against Aerojet in the wrongful death of a woman whose cancer was caused by asbestos exposure. While Aerojet initially denied using asbestos, it later amended its pleading to confirm it used asbestos while denying the company was intentionally deceptive. Aerojet has admitted that about 64,000 pounds of asbestos had been stored at the plant as late as 1988.

If you worked for Aerojet or lived in Chino Hills, you may have been exposed to toxic chemicals or asbestos. If you suspect you have been injured by exposure to contaminated water or asbestos, contact the Los Angeles Injury Group for a free consultation with an Aerojet toxic tort attorney in Los Angeles.

Porter Ranch Gas Leak Lawsuits

An uncontrolled natural gas leak in the Porter Ranch community in Southern California has affected thousands of people in the region. A report on November 20, 2015, by the California Air Resources Board found the leak was emitting around 50,000 kilograms of methane per hour, or the equivalent of one-quarter of all methane emissions in the entire state. Between October 23 and February 11, an estimated 96,000 metric tons of methane are estimated to have leaked, or the equivalent of 900,000,000 gallons of burned gasoline. The leak forced thousands of people to temporarily relocate while two schools were closed and thousands of students were relocated for the rest of the year.

The gas leak has caused severe damage to the community as well as residents. The Los Angeles communities of Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, and Northridge are all directly affected by the Southern California Gas Company leak. Exposure to chemicals in the gas can lead to severe and long-term health problems, particularly exposure to benzene, a known carcinogen.

Several types of lawsuits are likely to emerge from the gas leak, and lawsuits have already been filed against Southern California Gas Company. If you have been affected by the Porter Ranch gas leak, contact the Los Angeles Injury Group to discuss your case during a free consultation.

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Contact a Toxic Tort Attorney in Los Angeles

If you have been hurt through toxic chemical exposure, a toxic tort attorney in Los Angeles can help you protect your rights and seek compensation through a mass tort lawsuit. Toxic tort cases are very complex and require an experienced attorney as most cases require proving a large corporation is responsible for injuries. Contact the Los Angeles Injury Group today for a free consultation with a toxic tort attorney in Los Angeles to discuss your case and explore your legal options.