On February 9, 2010 a Broome County, New York jury awarded a verdict totaling $2,511,500 to a union plumber/pipefitter injured while working as a contractor at Amrex Chemical Company, Inc. at its East Frederick Street facility in October of 2005. The worker and his wife were represented in the case by Stephen G. Schwarz, managing partner at Faraci Lange, LLP of Rochester, New York.

The plaintiff was called in to work on the sprinkler system in the basement of the facility and had been told at a prior visit by representatives of defendant Amrex that he did not require any respiratory protection such as a respirator. Workers on the floor above were apparently cleaning out 55 gallon drums that had been used for chemical storage and the residue of the chemicals leaked through the floor into the area where the plaintiff was working. As the liquid leaked into the basement two incompatible chemicals, a strong acid and sodium hypochlorite, mixed together creating a cloud of chlorine gas that the plaintiff inhaled. More…

Recent advances in biomedical technology are now providing new tools that will help to scientifically establish a causal link between toxic chemical exposure and the development of cancer. This technology should considerably level the playing field and help victims of toxic exposures.

In the past, one of the most difficult aspects of bringing a lawsuit based on toxic chemical exposure has been proving a causal link between the exposure and cancer. Defendants in these cases often file countless motions challenging plaintiffs’ proof on the causation issue. With some regularity, defendants have succeeded in preventing certain cases from being decided by a jury. It has only been in cases involving rare malignancies, like mesothelioma, that establishing the necessary causal connection has been relatively straight-forward. That is because it has been proven that mesothelioma is caused only by exposure to asbestos. More…

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and predominantly trichloroethylene (TCE) have long been recognized as dangerous and persistent groundwater pollutants. Numerous epidemiological studies have established that TCE is a likely human carcinogen with the strongest evidence supporting a causal link to kidney, liver and lymphoma cancers. In the past, the most common route of exposure was through contaminated well water, whether by ingestion, inhalation of vapors or though contact with the skin. In many jurisdictions, government regulators were less aggressive where a plume of TCE or other VOCs was discovered in an area serviced by a public water supply, believing that residents were not being exposed.

In recent years, however, the danger of vapor intrusion is finally getting the attention it deserves from regulators and legislators across the country. One of the largest vapor intrusion sites discovered to date is in Endicott, New York. A plume of TCE and other VOCs are contaminating the air in hundreds of Endicott homes, requiring the installation of hundreds of individual vapor intrusion remediation systems. Faraci Lange, LLP, a Rochester, New York law firm, is involved in toxic chemical exposure litigation commenced against IBM on behalf of the victims of this contamination. More…